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You are here : Healthopedia.com > Medical Encyclopedia > Injuries and Wounds > Seizure
      Category : Health Centers > Brain and Nervous System

Seizure

Alternate Names : Convulsion, Fit, Epilepsy

Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors | Symptoms & Signs | Diagnosis & Tests | Prevention & Expectations | Treatment & Monitoring | Attribution


Seizures are caused by sudden, large discharges of electrical impulses from brain cells. A seizure may involve a wide variety of symptoms, depending on the part of the brain affected and the type of seizure.

What are the causes and risks of the injury?

Seizures may be caused by many conditions, diseases, injuries, and other factors. These may include conditions such as the following:

  • abnormalities in the blood vessels of the brain
  • atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries supplying the brain
  • bleeding into the brain, such as a subarachnoid hemorrhage
  • brain tumors
  • chromosomal abnormalities
  • congenital diseases or conditions
  • high blood pressure
  • pregnancy and problems associated with pregnancy
  • stroke
  • transient ischemic attack, which is also called a mini-stroke
  • Diseases also can be a factor in seizures, for example:

  • advanced liver disease
  • Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia
  • epilepsy, or a disease of the nervous system
  • hereditary diseases
  • infections involving the brain, including encephalitis, brain abscess, and bacterial meningitis
  • kidney failure, such as chronic renal failure
  • Injuries that may cause seizures include the following:

  • choking
  • head injury, such as a motor vehicle accident or sports injury
  • electrical injuries
  • injury during birth or in the uterus
  • poisonous insect bites or stings
  • Additional factors that may cause seizures include the following:

  • alcohol withdrawal
  • craniotomy, which is brain surgery
  • high fever, especially in young children
  • illegal drugs, such as cocaine
  • lead poisoning
  • overheating
  • withdrawal from some medicines, including those used to treat seizures

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    Seizure: Symptoms & Signs

    Author: James Broomfield, MD
    Reviewer: Barbara Mallari, RN, BSN, PHN
    Date Reviewed: 08/20/01









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    Page Last Updated: 30th May, 2006