Epilepsy

Basics

Epilepsy is a clinical condition where an individual suffers recurrent seizures, due to conditions in the brain.

Classification according to cause:

• Primary (idiopathic) seizures - no obvious cause
• Secondary (symptomatic) seizures - identifiable neurological condition (e.g. mass lesion)
• Reactive seizures - caused by acute disturbance (e.g. electrical stimulation, head trauma, metabolic disturbance)

Seizure classification

Generalised seizures (consciousness always lost)

• Tonic-clonic seizures (grand mal) 
• Absence seizures (petit mal)
• Myoclonic seizures 
• Tonic seizures 
• Clonic seizures 
• Atonic seizures 

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy is the commonest form of primary generalised epilepsy seen in adults.

Partial (focal) seizures

See also 'Seizure type - Partial seizures'.

• Simple partial (no alteration of consciousness)
• Complex partial (consciousness impaired)
• Partial seizure (either simple of complex) with secondary generalisation (thus subsequent lost consciousness)

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy due to hippocampal sclerosis is the most common form of partial epilepsy (usually complex partial seizure, sometimes with secondary generalisation)

Special seizure syndromes

e.g. Febrile seizures

Do not diagnose febrile seizure in infants <6 month old.

Unclassified

 

 

---

Things to revise/add later: More details on Febrile seizures and Partial seizures

Bibliography:

---