If you\u2019ve read Our Story<\/a>, or some of the other posts on this site, you know that James had a stroke<\/a> before he was born which we believe was the root cause to his many other medical issues. One of those issues is a seizure disorder.<\/p>\n During his two-month stay in the NICU<\/a> after he was born, James exhibited what was thought to be a seizure. After we talked with a neurologist to discuss a plan of action, medications to treat the seizures, and what this meant going forward, we took to the Internet to find out more information.<\/p>\n Epilepsy is a big topic and I couldn\u2019t possibly write about it all so I will just focus on answering the most common questions about seizures and epilepsy. This is not meant to be a \u201cthis is all you need to know about epilepsy\u201d post. I have included links to the sites that I have referenced in this article that you can use to find more information. At the very bottom of this post, I have included a complete list of all the sites I have referenced throughout this article as well as some other sites that have good information about epilepsy and seizures. If you are looking for further information regarding epilepsy or seizures, please refer to those sites, and consult with your doctor or other healthcare professional.<\/p>\n Since this is an extremely long post, to make it easier to navigate I have made the following list of questions clickable. If there is a particular question you are curious about, click on it to be taken directly to the answer to that question. Then you can simply hit the back button in your browser to be brought back to the list of questions. Or, if you prefer, you can just read (or skim) this entire article from top to bottom. The choice is yours. But be warned\u2026this is a very long read!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What is a seizure?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What is epilepsy?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n If someone has a seizure, do they have epilepsy?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n How long do seizures last?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Are there different types of seizures?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What is the difference between epilepsy and seizures?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What are the signs or symptoms of a seizure?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What causes epilepsy?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Can epilepsy be prevented?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n How common is epilepsy?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n How is epilepsy diagnosed?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n How is epilepsy treated?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Who treats epilepsy?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n How can I\/we manage epilepsy?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Can someone die from epilepsy?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What is Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP)?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Can someone with epilepsy exercise and\/or play sports?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What triggers seizures?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Do people who have epilepsy also have developmental disabilities?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n What should I do if I see someone having a seizure?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Where can I find more information about epilepsy and seizures?<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mayo Clinic<\/a> defines seizure as \u201ca sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain. It can cause changes in your behavior, movements or feelings, and in levels of consciousness. If you have two or more seizures or a tendency to have recurrent seizures, you have epilepsy.\u201d<\/p>\n Healthline<\/a> says that seizures are \u201cchanges in the brain\u2019s electrical activity. These changes can cause dramatic, noticeable symptoms, or in other cases no symptoms at all. The symptoms of a severe seizure include violent shaking and a loss of control. However, mild seizures can also be a sign of a significant medical problem, so recognizing them is important. Because some seizures can lead to injury or be a sign of an underlying medical condition, it\u2019s important to seek treatment if you experience them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Epilepsy Ontario<\/a> describes epilepsy as \u201ca common brain (neurological) disease\u00a0characterised by recurrent seizures, which are brief disruptions in normal brain activity that interferes with brain function. Seizures can manifest as full-body convulsions, but there are many kinds \u2013 with some types, you might not even notice a seizure at all. Currently there is no cure, and for many it is lifelong.\u201d<\/p>\n WebMD<\/a> says pretty much the same thing, but with some different terminology. \u201cEpilepsy\u00a0is a chronic (long-lasting) medical condition marked by recurrent epileptic\u00a0seizures. An epileptic seizure is an event of altered\u00a0brain\u00a0function caused by abnormal or excessive electrical discharges from\u00a0brain\u00a0cells.\u00a0Epilepsy\u00a0is one of the most common neurologic disorders, affecting up to 1% of the U.S. population.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You may have noticed in the answer to the previous question that both WebMD<\/a> and Epilepsy Ontario<\/a> mentioned \u201crecurrent seizures\u201d. If someone has a single seizure, they don\u2019t necessarily have epilepsy. A person is only diagnosed as having epilepsy after they have experience two or more seizures. Although James was thought to have had a seizure in the NICU, he wasn\u2019t diagnosed with epilepsy until much later\u2026after he had additional seizures, and some additional testing was performed. Diagnosing epilepsy will be discussed in more detail below, under \u201chow is epilepsy diagnosed\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The length of a seizure can vary depending on what type of seizure it is. Most seizures last from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes. Any seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes is considered a medical emergency. Seek medical attention immediately.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 1981 the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE)<\/a>, the world\u2019s main scientific body devoted to the study of epilepsy, developed an international classification of epileptic seizures that divided seizures into two major classes: partial-onset seizures<\/span> and generalized-onset seizures<\/span>.<\/p>\n In 2017 the ILAE<\/a> revised its classification of seizures to make diagnosing and classifying seizures easier and more accurate by incorporating three key features:<\/p>\n As you can see in ILAE\u2019s 2017 classification chart below, most seizures can be categorized as either focal<\/strong> onset<\/strong> or generalized<\/strong> onset<\/strong> depending on where in the brain they occur and how they began. In some cases, however, it is unknown where and how the seizure began. These are referred to as unknown onset<\/strong> seizures.<\/p>\n Note that partial-onset seizures<\/em> in the 1981 classification were renamed focal onset seizures<\/em> in the 2017 revision. You may see or hear both of these terms used interchangeably.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re like me the first time I saw this chart, you are probably feeling a bit overwhelmed. While there is a lot of stuff on the chart, I\u2019ll try to break it down for you.<\/p>\n As I mentioned above, seizures fall under three (3) main categories: focal, generalized, and unknown.<\/p>\n Focal onset seizures<\/strong><\/span> occur in one area of the brain. Prior to ILAE\u2019s<\/a> 2017 classification revision, focal onset seizures were referred to as partial onset seizures<\/em>. Focal onset seizures can be further categorized as either focal aware<\/span> or focal impaired awareness<\/span>.<\/p>\nWhat is a seizure?<\/span><\/h4>\n
What is epilepsy?<\/span><\/h4>\n
If someone has a seizure, do they have epilepsy?<\/span><\/h4>\n
How long do seizures last?<\/span><\/h4>\n
Are there different types of seizures?<\/span><\/h4>\n
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![\"ILAE](\"https:\/\/capenotrequired.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ilae-2017-classification-expanded_0.png\")
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