What is a Seizure?

A seizure is a reaction of the body caused by either a smell, a chemical imbalance, stress, a medical condition, an object, damage to the brain or any other problem that may cause the brain to overload and being unable to properly process the information to analyze in a proper fashion.

Sometimes, a seizure can be local or total. Someone suffering a seizure might loose consciousness or not. When there is a local seizure, some part of the body might display some convulsion as in a total seizure, the whole body can be convulsing at the same time.

You may also observe an absence which is when someone seems to daydream and out of touch even when called by his name. You may also observe a certain muscular tightness during that time.

Some seizures may cause damage to some part of the brain if the seizure is too long or the loss of consciousness is longer than expected. Others, will basically cause aches and pains and maybe a few bruises as the damages will be affecting only the body parts that are hitting objects.

Either way, with convulsions or not, the person affected by a seizure will be exhausted when it is all over and might even require some sleep.

In some cases, there might be several seizures in a row and in other cases, there might be only one. In either situation, it is always a good idea to be checked by a physician as the person who suffers might require some medical tests, some medications or if he is already taking medication, the dosage might need to be adjusted again.

A seizure may sometimes be predicted by either an aura which is a known smell, a flash or a sound that might trigger it. Sometimes, it offers some time as a warning but sometimes it is coming upon the patient instantaneously. Other people can predict them even a day in advance by noticing some symptoms or signs of it.

Some people may require some medication and others, just some rest. If someone has a seizure for the first time, always have a physician investigate the medical condition of this person to find out the cause and the ways to deal with this condition.

And finally, there is no age too young or too old for someone to suffer from a seizure disorder. There is no race or no financial situation that is more affected by seizures than others. The fact is: nobody is exempt of the possibility to suffer from seizures, now or in the future.

What can you do to help someone who suffers from a seizure? Find out in my next article!