WHAT IS A SEIZURE?A seizure may appear as a brief stare, an unusual movement of the body, a change in awareness, or a convulsion. A seizure may last a few seconds or a few minutes. Not all seizures indicate that a person has epilepsy. High fever (febrile convulsions), severe head trauma or injury, lack of oxygen - a number of factors can affect the brain enough to cause a single seizure. It is important to remember that a single seizure does NOT necessarily mean that a person has epilepsy. When repeated seizures continue to occur for unknown reasons (idiosyncratic) or because of an underlying problem that cannot be corrected (symptomatic), the condition is known as epilepsy.
For more information concerning why seizures occur and the more common types, please follow this link.