Guide

There are many known causes of epilepsy. Some of them are listed below :

In Children

• Fever
• Birth defects (difficult delivery)
• Brain defects
• Infections (meningitis)
• Head injuries (fall/accident)
• Rapidly flickering light / colours (in TV)
• Hot water head-bath.

In Adults

• Drug interactions
• Excessive alcohol intake
• Head injuries
• Brain tumours
• Lack of sleep
• Starvation
• Emotional upset
• Menstrual periods

Despite the long list of known causes, in nearly 70% of the cases, there may not be any known cause that could be held responsible for triggering the seizure.

SYMPTOMS

Different types of epilepsies have different symptoms.

Simple Partial Seizures
- Tingling sensation, hallucinations (or repetitive movements)
- No loss of consciousness

Complex Partial Seizure
- Involves repetitive movements
- Patient is often in a semi-conscious state of mind
- Presence or absence of a warning in the form of an 'aura'

Absence Seizures
- Most common in children
- No convulsive movements
- Blank stares, rapid blinking (for few seconds)
- Rapid return to normalcy

Tonic Clonic Seizures
- Involvement of the full body
- Often accompanied with a loud cry
- Muscular contractions
- Attacks last for 1 or 2 minutes
- Tongue bite, urination, frothing (at the mouth), passing of stools