Seizures – Symptoms, causes, and management
A seizure is a known health condition mainly bought about by a brain disorder known as epilepsy. Seizures occur when multiple parts of the brain have a burst of abnormal impulse signals that interrupt the regular brain signals. Essentially, anything that affects the connections between various nerves will likely cause a seizure in people. Seizures are also a sign of other health conditions; therefore, one must have them diagnosed and treated at the earliest.
Symptoms
Healthcare professionals can diagnose seizures in people based on the following typical signs and symptoms:
Stiffening of muscles
Under regular circumstances, the muscle tone in one’s body remains normal. This tone is the amount of tension a muscle experiences at any point. This tone significantly increases during seizures, especially in the arms, legs, and other heavy muscular areas. As a result, these parts become stiff and tense during a seizure.
Loss of control over bladder and stools
Epilepsy or seizures are closely linked with urinary and bowel incontinence. A person’s brain functionality is responsible for their control over their bowels and bladder emptying. However, in a state of seizure, this functionality is diminished greatly. Therefore, it is not uncommon for someone suffering a seizure to involuntarily defecate or urinate into their clothes.
Causes
A loss of brain function in a given moment is one of the primary triggers of seizures. Here are some of the core reasons why people suffer from seizures:
High blood sugar levels
High blood sugar levels lead to nonketotic hyperglycemia-related seizures. In regular terms, these kinds of seizures are known as focal seizures. They affect certain areas within the brain and seriously affect the daily lives of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Brain tumor
Although the development of seizures due to brain tumors is rare, the latter remains a significant cause of brain functionality reduction. Brain tumors are a highly dangerous form of cancer, and they manifest themselves as seizures in some patients.
Head injury
One can draw a pattern among all these symptoms. A common thread running through them is injuries or illnesses affecting the brain. Nasty head injuries can bring about concussions in people. If not treated on time, such concussions result in seizures in several people. It is not uncommon for someone with a bad head injury to suffer any of the symptoms mentioned above.
Treatment options
Healthcare professionals employ certain treatment alternatives to address seizures and its root causes in patients. Some common treatment options include:
Deep brain stimulation
Electric shocks of certain power are a common way to address seizures. In deep brain stimulation, surgeons implant thin wires known as electrodes within certain areas of the brain. This treatment aims to restore the normal signal flow within the brain and nerves. Under the chest, a pacemaker-like device controls the frequency and range of electrical stimulation.
Hemispherotomy
In this surgery, doctors disconnect one side of one’s brain from the rest of it and the body. Many seizures affect half of one’s brain, so this treatment addresses the affected half. The success rate of this treatment is relatively high, and it tends to restore the daily functional abilities of people undergoing it in the long run.