Can you get epilepsy without being born with it?
Causes of epilepsy vary by age of the person. Some people with no clear cause of epilepsy may have a genetic cause. But what’s true for every age is that the cause is unknown for about half of everyone with epilepsy. Some people with no known cause of epilepsy may have a genetic form of epilepsy.
What seizures can be mistaken?
Movement disorders such as Tourette’s syndrome or other uncontrolled tics are sometimes mistaken for partial seizures. People with Tourette’s syndrome may grunt, clear their throats or even curse involuntarily.
Can seizures be unexplained?
Seizures are more common than you might think. Seizures can happen after a stroke, a closed head injury, an infection such as meningitis or another illness. Many times, though, the cause of a seizure is unknown.
Are you born with epilepsy or does it develop?
Epilepsy is a central nervous system (neurological) disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing seizures or periods of unusual behavior, sensations, and sometimes loss of awareness. Anyone can develop epilepsy. Epilepsy affects both males and females of all races, ethnic backgrounds and ages.
What do stress seizures look like?
Frequently, people with PNES may look like they are experiencing generalized convulsions similar to tonic-clonic seizures with falling and shaking. Less frequently, PNES may mimic absence seizures or focal impaired awarneness (previously called complex partial) seizures.
What age does epilepsy usually start?
Epilepsy can begin at any time of life, but it’s most commonly diagnosed in children, and people over the age of 65. Some children with epilepsy will outgrow their seizures as they mature, while others may have seizures that continue into adulthood.
How do you tell if you’ve had a seizure?
General symptoms or warning signs of a seizure can include:
- Staring.
- Jerking movements of the arms and legs.
- Stiffening of the body.
- Loss of consciousness.
- Breathing problems or stopping breathing.
- Loss of bowel or bladder control.
- Falling suddenly for no apparent reason, especially when associated with loss of consciousness.
Can a person have more than one type of seizure?
A person with epilepsy can have more than one type of seizure. The signs of a seizure depend on the type of seizure. Sometimes it is hard to tell when a person is having a seizure.
Is it dangerous for a child to have an absence seizure?
Absence seizures can still be dangerous though. Frequent seizures may impact a child’s learning abilities at a critical time in their childhood development, and an accident caused by a few seconds of unresponsiveness could be harmful.
Is it scary to watch someone have a seizure?
Seizures can be scary if you’ve never seen one. Watching someone you care about drop to the ground with convulsions is one of the hardest things you can imagine. But now is not the time to panic. “Take a deep breath, and don’t get scared,” says Patty Shafer RN, MN, senior director for health information with the Epilepsy Foundation.
What kind of seizures make a person fall out?
Absence seizures, sometimes called petit mal seizures, can cause rapid blinking or a few seconds of staring into space. Tonic-clonic seizures, also called grand mal seizures, can make a person Cry out. Lose consciousness. Fall to the ground.
When do you have 2 or more seizures with no known cause?
But when a person has 2 or more seizures with no known cause, this is diagnosed as epilepsy. There are different types of seizures. The type of seizure depends on which part and how much of the brain is affected and what happens during the seizure.
Can a child with a simple seizure outgrow it?
Children who have simple partial seizures will sometimes “outgrow” seizures and will not experience them as adults. Others may need to take anti-seizure medications all their lives. Simple partial seizures can be treated in a range of ways, such as treating an underlying disease or prescribing a specific medication.
Can a child with an absence seizure have a seizure?
This type of seizure usually doesn’t lead to physical injury. Absence seizures usually can be controlled with anti-seizure medications. Some children who have them also develop other seizures. Many children outgrow absence seizures in their teens.
When do people come back from a seizure?
More often, however, the person will regain consciousness after a few minutes—and when she does, stay calm. “When people are coming back [from a seizure], that’s when they’re at their most vulnerable,” says Dr. Bagić. “It can be scary if the first thing they see is people staring at them or panicking.”
