Epilepsy and Seizures

This website has been created to help educate about seizure and epilepsy. What causes them, and common misconceptions related to these medical conditions.

Image

What Are Seizures

A seizure is an electrical disturbance in the brain that interferes with normal brain function. There are many kinds of seizures, each with its own features and characteristics; When determining what kind of seizures a person is experiencing, the healthcare provider will look at several factors, including where the seizure(s) start in the brain. Accurately classifying a seizure is a critical first step to diagnosing epilepsy.

More Details
Image

Seizure Types & Recurrence

60% of people with epilepsy have Focal Seizures while 30% of people have Generalized Seizures and 10% of people have an Unknown Onset. To ensure healthcare professionals, patients, and their care providers have the resources to understand and treat people with epilepsy, the Int. League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) established the terminologies and approaches for classifying seizures and forms of epilepsy.

More Details
Image

Seizures Descriptions

Words that describe generalized seizures are as follows: These simplified words are used to describe generalized seizures: Tonic: Muscles in the body become stiff. Atonic: Muscles in the body relax. Myoclonic: Short Jerking in parts of the body. Clonic: Periods of shaking or jerking parts on the body. Sometimes there can also be a combination of these words used to describe a seizure such as Tonic-Clonic.

More Details
Image

Major Types of Seizures

Major Types of Seizures Seizures are classified into two groups.

1. Generalized seizures affect both sides of the brain.
2. Absence seizures, sometimes called petit mal seizures, can cause rapid blinking or a few seconds of staring into space.
3. Tonic-clonic seizures, also called grand mal seizures, can make a person cry out, lose consciousness, fall to the ground, and have muscle jerks or spasms.
The person may feel tired after a tonic-clonic seizure.
4. Focal seizures are located in just one area of the brain. These seizures are also called partial seizures.
5. Simple focal seizures affect a small part of the brain. These seizures can cause twitching or a change in sensation, such as a strange taste or smell.
6. Complex focal seizures can make a person with epilepsy confused or dazed. The person will be unable to respond to questions or direction for up to a few minutes.
7. Secondary generalized seizures begin in one part of the brain, but then spread to both sides of the brain. In other words, the person first has a focal seizure, followed by a generalized seizure.
Seizures may last as long as a few minutes.


Image

Not All Seizures Are Emergencies

About 1 in 10 people may have a seizure during their lifetime. Seizures are common and one day you might need to help someone. These are general steps to help someone who is having any type seizure:
Stay with the person until the seizure ends and he or she is fully awake.
After it ends, help the person sit in a safe place.
Once they are alert and able to communicate, tell them what happened in very simple terms.
Comfort the person and speak calmly.
Check to see if the person is wearing a medical bracelet or other emergency information.
Keep yourself and other people calm.
Offer to call a taxi or another person to make sure the person gets home safely.
Seizures do not usually require emergency medical attention. Only call 911 if one or more of these are true: The person has never had a seizure before.
The person has difficulty breathing or waking after the seizure.
The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.
The person has another seizure soon after the first one.
The person is hurt during the seizure.
The seizure happens in water.
The person has a health condition like diabetes, heart disease, or is pregnant.
.

read more

Our Services

We have put together a collection of resources where you can find support and more information for seizures and epillepsy.

Image

Epilepsy Alliance

Epilepsy Alliance Florida is dedicated to supporting those impacted by epilepsy by confronting the spectrum of challenges created by seizures.

Details
Image

CDC Control & Prevent

Epilepsy can be hard to manage and may interfere with daily life. Use the free resources below to help you or someone you love manage living with epilepsy.

Details

Image

The Epilepsy Foundation

The Epilepsy Foundation connects the people & data needed to address challenging health problems associated with seizures and the epilepsies.

Details
Image

CURE Epilepsy

Since its inception CURE Epilepsy has raised more than $90 million to fund epilepsy research and other initiatives that will lead the way to cures for epilepsy.

details

Image

Additional Information On How To Help

Stop! NOT Knowing what NOT to do is important for keeping a person safe during or after a seizure. Never do any of the following things

  • Do not hold the person down or try to stop his or her movements.
  • Do not put anything in the person’s mouth. This can injure teeth or the jaw. A person having a seizure cannot swallow his or her tongue.
  • Do not try to give mouth-to-mouth breaths (like CPR). People usually start breathing again on their own after a seizure.
  • Do not offer the person water or food until he or she is fully alert First aid for generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures.
When most people think of a seizure, they think of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure, also called a grand mal seizure. In this type of seizure, the person may cry out, fall, shake or jerk, and become unaware of what’s going on around them. Here are things you can do to help someone who is having this type of seizure:
  • Ease the person to the floor.
  • Turn the person gently onto one side. This will help the person breathe.
  • Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp. This can prevent injury.
  • Put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under his or her head.
  • Remove eyeglasses.
  • Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make it hard to breathe.
  • Time the seizure. Call 911 if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.

Read More

contact form

Stay in touch with us. Sign up for our newsletter.