"Epilepsy is the Greek word for seizure disorder," says Dr. Jose Colon, a pediatric neurologist with Lee Memorial Health System.
Seizures have been recognized as a medical condition for centuries, but they are not one-size fits all. In fact, they can present in extremely different forms.
"The one that most people know about are the generalized tonic-clonic seizures, or Grand Mal seizures, and what that is it's a full body convulsion," says Dr. Colon.
In a clonic-tonic seizure, the patient generally loses consciousness and collapses. It's characterized by stiffening of the body, which is the tonic phase. About a minute later it's followed by violent jerking, which is the clonic phase. It's a stark contrast to the absence seizure.
Absence seizures affect mostly children and last just a few seconds. There is a brief loss of consciousness, which can almost go unnoticed. Someone suffering one of these seizures looks like they've zoned out.
"They can have a moment in time where it appears that somebody is not paying attention, but what's happening is that they have a seizure going on in their head. Many times this can happen multiple times a day, sometimes hundreds of times in a day," says Dr. Colon.
The next most common seizure is the myoclonic, characterized by sporadic jerks on both sides of the body. Followed by atonic, which is when the patient has a sudden loss of muscle function. Seizures can originate for any number of reasons.
"Sometimes it can be a genetic predisposition towards having seizure disorders. Sometimes it can be a symptom of cerebral palsy or a prior brain injury or other genetic disorders. There are some things that can make a seizure more likely to come out. Sleep deprivation is a very good one," says Dr. Colon.
A doctor with experience in seizure disorders is best suited to make a diagnosis. There are medications and even surgery that is helpful in controlling or eliminating these unexpected seizures.
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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we've been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.
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