epilepsy (thing)

Frequently Identified Causes of Epilepsy

• Head injury that causes scarring of the brain tissue.
• Trauma at birth, or high fever.
• Excessively rough handling or shaking of infants.
• Certain drugs or toxic substances when administered in large doses.
• Interruption of blood flow to the brain caused by stroke, tumor, or certain cardiovascular problems.
• Diseases which alter the balance of blood or its chemical structure, or diseases that damage the nerve cells in the brain.

Types of Seizures

• partial seizures: the electrical disturbance is centered in only one portion of the brain. about 60% of people with epilepsy have partial seizures. Partial seizures are broadly classified by the location of the abberant electrical activity within the brain.
  
  
  • simple partial seizure
  • complex partial seizure

• generalized seizures: massive amounts of electical energy take over the entire brain causing loss of consciousness, falls, and convulsions.
  
  
  • generalized tonic-clonic seizure (replaces the term grand mal)
  • absence seizure (replaces the term petit mal)
  • myoclonic seizure(occasionally seen spelled myclonic seizure)
  • atonic seizure (drop seizure)
  
  
• Further Seizure Classification: If there is a known trigger for seizures (of any type) in an epileptic, their seizures are further categorized by the triggering event. Here are the most common types:
  
  
  • Musicogenic Seizures
  • Catamenial Seizures
  • Photosensitive Seizures

Commonly Diagnosed Epilepsy Syndromes

there are hundreds of different classifiable forms of epilepsy. some have been identified as hereditary, some have no identifiable cause. only about half of all cases of epilepsy have a known cause, the other half are idiopathic. here is a list of the most commonly diagnosed epilepsy syndromes:

• absence epilepsy
• psychomotor epilepsy
• temporal lobe epilepsy
• frontal lobe epilepsy
• occipital lobe epilepsy
• parietal lobe epilepsy

First Aid for Epileptic Seizures

The Impact of Epilepsy on Quality of Life

Dangers and Risks Associated with Epilepsy

Laws Regarding Epilepsy and Driving, By State

Interesting Facts about Epilepsy

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please note: my ideas for expansion of this node include first aid information for various types of seizures, information about commonly prescribed medications, and general overall implications of the disorder. i would also like to include information about the status of epileptics and drivers licenses within each of the fifty states. this is an ongoing project.

yes i am epileptic. learning and teaching about it make me feel as though i have a modicum of control over it. if there is any information that you feel i am leaving out, or if you want to know something specific please msg me about it in the chatterbox.