New info on seizures!

A seizure is a sudden disruption of the brain's normal electrical activity accompanied by altered consciousness and/or other neurological behavior.Eugene, Oregon, October 7, 2006 -- There are more than 20 different seizure disorders.

One in ten Americans will have a seizure at some time, and at least 200,000 have at least one seizure a month."Most seizures are benign, but a seizure that lasts a long time can lead to status epilepticus, a life-threatening condition characterized by continuous seizures, sustained loss of consciousness, and respiratory distress.

Non-convulsive epilepsy can impair physical coordination, vision, and other senses. Undiagnosed seizures can lead to conditions that are more serious and more difficult to manage.--

Types of Seizures--

---- Generalized

----A generalized tonic-clonic (grand-mal) seizure begins with a loud cry before the person having the seizure loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The muscles become rigid for about 30 seconds during the tonic phase of the seizure and alternately contract and relax during the clonic phase, which lasts 30-60 seconds. The skin sometimes acquires a bluish tint and the person may bite his tongue, lose bowel or bladder control, or have trouble breathing.

--- Primary Generalized Seizure

---A primary generalized seizure occurs when electrical discharges begin in both halves (hemispheres) of the brain at the same time. Primary generalized seizures are more likely to be major motor attacks than to be absence seizure."

-- Symptoms & Causes

--The origin of 50-70% of all cases of epilepsy is unknown. Epilepsy is sometimes the result of trauma at the time of birth. Such causes include insufficient oxygen to the brain; head injury; heavy bleeding or incompatibility between a woman's blood and the blood of her newborn baby; and infection immediately before, after, or at the time of birth.

Other causes of epilepsy include:

* Head trauma resulting from a car accident, gunshot wound, or other injury.

* Alcoholism.

* Brain abscess or inflammation of membranes covering the brain or spinal cord.

* Phenylketonuria (PKU, a disease that is present at birth, is often characterized by seizures, and can result in mental retardation) and other inherited disorders.

* Infectious diseases like measles, mumps, and diphtheria.

* Degenerative disease.

* Lead poisoning, mercury poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, or ingestion of some other poisonous substance.

* Genetic factors.