Seizures/Epilepsy - Unit 3 Flashcards
Children with idiopathic seizures - typically, they are never seizure free. T/F?
FALSE - they are typically seizure free after about 20 years.
What is a seizure?
It’s a neural problem - continual, uncontrolled electrical discharge.
What is a primary (idiopathic) seizure?
This is a seizure with an unknown cause.
What is a secondary seizure?
It is a seizure of known cause, like an injury or meds, etc.
Most of the people with seizures who are over the age of 30 - they are caused by meds, trauma, etc. T/F?
True
To be diagnosed with a seizure disorder, you need to have __ or more seizures in a period of time.
2
70-80% of people with seizures are controlled with medication. The rest aren’t. They might get a vagus stimulator or something. T/F?
True!
What are the three types of generalized seizures? And what does generalized mean?
Generalized means when it affects the whole body.
Generalized Tonic Clonic (“Grand Mal”
Absenece (petit mal)
Myoclonic
What is a Generalized Tonic Clonic “Grand Mal” Seizure?
This is a BIG seizure - it’s the one with jerking and muscle stiffness.
What is an absence (petit mal) seizure?
Repetitive movements - they might also stare off into space. It is common in children.
What is a myoclonic seizure?
This comes across with stiffness - maybe one side over another.
What are focal seizures?
They happen in one area - one side twitching, etc.
How many types of seizures are there?
400-500 - most are congenital.
What are psychogenic seizures?
These are seizure’s that aren’t real. They might occur because of narcolepsy, tourette’s, etc. The people act like they are having a seizure but it doesn’t come up on the EEG.
Is it important to get a history with a seizure patient?
Yes, we need to know as much information about it as we can.
