Double Seizure Definition

Double Seizure Definition

When seizures originate from a specific area of the brain, the initial symptoms of the seizure often reflect the functions of that area. The right half of the brain controls the left side of the body and the left half of the brain controls the right side of the body. For example, if a seizure begins on the right side of the brain in the area that controls thumb movement, the seizure may begin with a jolt of the left thumb or left hand. Tonic-clonic seizures (or great evil): These are the most noticeable. When you have this type, your body stiffens, shakes and trembles, and you lose consciousness. Sometimes you lose control of your bladder or bowels. They usually last 1 to 3 minutes – if they last longer, someone should call 911. This can cause breathing problems or cause you to bite your tongue or cheek. While about 70% of patients have well-controlled seizures with these modalities, the remaining 30% do not and are considered medically resistant.

Patients with medically resistant epilepsy are often treated multidisciplinary in epilepsy centers. Scientific retreat in the Middle Ages prompted medieval doctors to adopt the public`s approach and give in to magical thinking. The rise of Christianity fostered magical attitudes, and an important example of this can be seen in a New Testament story (Mark, 9:14-29; Matthew 17:14–20; Luke 9:37-43), which describes a boy with epilepsy (called a “fool”) whom Jesus heals by driving the “evil spirit” out of him. The link between epilepsy and supernatural powers is also illustrated by the association with some saints, especially St. John (the evil of St. John was a common expression in France), Valentine`s Day (whose name and German word fall sounded identical) and St. Vitus (dance of St. Vitus, which, curiously, is now mainly associated with the Chorea).

Dante`s hell describes a crisis as a result of demons. The contagious nature of epilepsy and the fear of being infected with the disease were clearly expressed during this period.2*, 11* Ali Ibn Abbās (lived during the Islamic Golden Age, died in 982/994 AD), a Persian physician, suggested that skull fractures cause compression of the brain, leading to epilepsy,2* which promoted the idea of post-traumatic or structural etiology. This term is used to describe long or repeated absences or complex partial seizures. Increasingly frequent invasive monitoring can be performed using the stereoelectroencephalography (StereoEEG) approach. In this approach, several depth electrodes are implanted in a specific pattern adapted to the patient. The three-dimensional space covered by the depth electrodes is designed to encompass the input focus. Sometimes it is difficult to tell when a person is having a seizure. A person who has a seizure may seem confused or look like they are looking at something that is not there.

Other seizures can cause a person to fall, tremble, and not be aware of what`s going on around them. Epilepsy is a chronic disease that affects people in different ways. Many people with epilepsy lead normal, active lives. Between 70 and 80% of people with epilepsy can successfully control their seizures through medication or surgical techniques. When a person has a seizure, an increased amount of blood circulates in the area of the brain where the seizure begins. SPECT scans performed during seizures can identify the area of the brain where blood flow increases, indicating where they start. SPECT scans are performed when the patient is hospitalized for video EEG monitoring. A person who is having a seizure for the first time should talk to a health care provider, such as a doctor or nurse. The provider will talk to the person about what happened and look for the cause of the crisis. Many people who have seizures take tests like brain scans to take a closer look at what`s going on. These tests don`t hurt.

This type of epilepticus requires emergency treatment by medical staff trained in a hospital. An EEG test may be needed to monitor seizures and how a person responds to treatment. This can be life-threatening and it is important to start treatment quickly. The outlook for this type of status may vary depending on the cause of the emergency and whether other medical problems or complications arise. Going back to the beginning, it seems that the historical descriptions of seizures do not seem to be so different from our descriptions today, and what has happened over time is the attribution of terminology. It is important for the reader to note that the terms epilepsy, epileptic seizure, seizure or seizure have been used interchangeably throughout the historical literature. This section will focus on seizures as we consider them a symptom today, although the historical literature sometimes uses the term epilepsy that we use today to refer to the disease and will be the subject of a later section. The word seized is derived from the Greek meaning “to seize”. The earliest description of seizures after a review of historical literature is found in Sumerian documents from Mesopotamia around 2500 BC. The text describes a person whose neck is twisted, whose extremities are stretched, whose eyes are open, whose foam can be felt on the mouth and in case of unconsciousness.

We can call this today a focal, unconscious tonic crisis, but people of that time called it antašubbȗ (Sumerian term meaning “the disease that falls”), related to the hand of sin and the god of the moon.1*, 2*One of the oldest Babylonian medical texts, Sakikku (English translation: “All Diseases”), dating from about 1050 BC. J.-C., contains the oldest written account of epilepsy, how it was later perceived and understood. They use terms such as miqtu (Akkadian (Babylonian and Assyrian considered as a single culture or language), translated as “the falling disease”), ṣibtu (meaning “possession”) and the related verb ṣabātu (meaning both “to grasp” and “to possess”). The tablet contains descriptions of what we would now call focal seizures, tonic seizures, and absence seizures, as well as descriptions of prodromal symptoms, auras, postictal phenomena, interictal emotional disorders, and epidemics.5 * Epilepsy, in which seizures begin simultaneously on both sides of the brain, is called primary generalized epilepsy. Hereditary factors are important in partial generalized epilepsy, which involves genetic factors rather than partial epilepsy – a condition in which seizures originate from a limited area of the brain. Seizures are the main feature of epilepsy. Some crises may look like star spells. Other crises cause her to fall, shake and lose consciousness of what is happening around her. Vagus nerve stimulation The vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) is an FDA-approved device for the treatment of epilepsy that is not controlled by antiepileptic drugs.

It involves the surgical placement of electrodes around the vagus nerve in the neck and a generator under the collarbone in the upper part of the chest. It requires two separate incisions, but it is an outpatient procedure. Subsequently, a programmer can be used by the epileptologist (from outside the skin) to change the intensity, duration and frequency of stimulation to optimize seizure control. SNV reduces the frequency of seizures by at least half in 40-50% of patients, but rarely eliminates all seizures. This is an option for those who are not candidates for other types of surgery. SUDEP is a rare disease in which young or middle-aged people with epilepsy die without a clear cause. It accounts for less than two percent of deaths in people with epilepsy. The risk is about one in 3,000 per year for all people with epilepsy. However, it can go up to one in 300 for those who have frequent and uncontrollable seizures and take high doses of seizure medication.

Researchers don`t know why SUDEP causes death. Some believe that an attack causes an irregular heartbeat. Recent studies have shown that the person can choke with breathing disorders, fluid in the lungs and lie face down on bedding. Absence crises (or small periods): You seem to be separated from others around you and don`t respond to them. You can look blank into space, and your eyes can roll back into your head. They usually only last a few seconds, and you may not remember getting one. They are more common in children under 14 years of age. During the 19th century, with the changing attitudes towards epilepsy, patients suffering from the disease were separated from criminals and the mentally ill in institutions, which led to the development of special colonies and hospitals to treat these patients in Western Europe and America. This allowed doctors to observe them closely and introduce a new lexicon to describe seizures. Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol (1772-1840) explains that attacks alternate in intensity and that there are severe (the great) and light (the small evil) attacks, although his definition of the terms is vague.2*, 17 Louis‐Florentin Calmeil (1798‐1895) would have known the term “absence”, which he characterized by a temporary mental confusion without clear physical symptoms.

and distinguished it from “little evil”, which remained the term to include the various attacks that did not have the character of “Great Evil”. He would also have been the first to distinguish between severe seizures and state of evil or uninterrupted seizures (now known as status epilepticus).

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