Epilepsy Flashcards
(34 cards)
Epilepsy is an i_____ cause of seizures
idiopathic
Epilepsy consists of _ or more episodes more than 24 hours apart
2
What are risk factors for epilepsy?
Familial inheritance
Dementia (10x more likely)
In a seizure, what happens between the normal balance of GABA and glutamate?
Glutamate has larger effect than GABA so more excitatory stimulation
How long do epileptic seizures normally last?
Under 2 minutes
What are the stages of an epileptic seizure?
Prodrome
Aura
Ictal event (seizure)
Postictal period
What happens in the prodrome period of epilepsy?
Mood changes may occur a few day before
What happens during the aura stage of an epileptic seizure?
Deja vu and automatisms may be present a few minutes before the seizure
What are examples of automatisms (semi-coordinated, repetitive motor activities)
Lip smacking, rapid blinking
What occurs in the postictal period of epilepsy?
Headache
Confusion and low GCS
Todd’s paralysis
Dysphasia
Amnesia
Sore tongue - can often get bitten in seizure
What is Todd’s paralysis?
If motor cortex affected, may have temporary paralysis and muscle weakness after seizure
What is amnesia?
Memory loss - “what the heck happened”
Epileptic seizures can either be g_____ or f___
generalised or focal
In a generalised epileptic seizure, the brain is affected unilaterally/bilaterally and there is always/sometimes a loss of consciousness
bilaterally
always a loss of consciousness
Describe what happens in a generalised tonic-clonic epileptic seizure (used to be called grand mal seizure)
Tonic phase followed by clonic muscle contractions.
No aura
Tonic phase: rigidity and fall to floor
Clonic phase: jerking of limbs
Up-gazing of eyes
Incontinence
Tongue bitten
What happens in a generalised absence seizure (used to be called petit mal seizures)?
A short period of “blanking out” or staring into space, brief abnormal electrical activity in brain.
All activity is stopped without warning, eyelids may turn upwards and eyelids flutter, momentarily confused but then back to normal.
What group of people are generalised absence seizures most common in
Children and adolescence
What frequency spike is shown on an ECG during a generalised absence seizure?
3 Hz
In a f___ seizure, the features are confined to one region, may progress to a secondary generalised seizure
focal
What occurs in a simple focal seizure?
There is no loss of consciousness, patient is awake and aware
Uncontrollable muscle jerking
True or false: there is basal ganglia and thalamus involvement in a simple focal seizure
False, no basal ganglia or thalamus involvement, there is in a complex focal seizure.
What occurs in a complex focal seizure?
Loss of consciousness
Patient unaware
Symptoms depend on where focal neurology is
What symptoms are shown in a temporal complex focal seizure?
Aura
Dysphasia
Post ictal period
What symptoms are shown in a frontal complex focal seizure?
Jacksonian March and Todd’s Palsy
