Describes a state of recurring seizures between which consciousness does not return in between the seizure events. If a seizure does not stop within 5-10 minutes, call for help. The individual may be in danger of going into status epilepticus. This is a potentially life-threatening event. For any seizure event that appears to be different than those normal for the individual or lasts abnormally long help should be called. This demands immediate medical care, as it can lead to severe brain damage and even loss of life.
To return the person back to normal, benzodiazepines such as diazepam or lorazepam (see drugs section) may be administered by the hospital.
There are many potential triggers for status epilepticus and in many cases, there is no apparent trigger. Potential triggers should be discussed with your physician as these will vary from person to person.
Myoclonic Seizure:
There is no loss of consciousness during this type of seizure. It is often associated with single or repetitive jerking motions of the muscles (myoclonus). Myoclonic seizures are primarily observed in young children and infants. They are rarer in adults.
Atonic Seizure:
Often called drop attacks/seizures. These seizures are characterized by sudden loss of muscle tone, resulting in an inability to sit or stand. (Also known as akinetic seizures). Atonic seizures are usually rare in adults.
They are often identified in children with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (discussed in the next page). While the actual seizures cause little injury to the child, most resulting harmful injuries after the event are usually related to the child falling or injuring his/herself when they lost muscle tone. To help prevent more serious injuries, some parents may choose to have their child wear a protective helmet as well as restrict their involvement in certain activities if they are prone to atonic seizures.
Note: Astatic seizures involve loss of muscle tone resulting in the inability to stand. Atonic seizures are not always astatic in nature.
Other Seizures:
Photosensitive seizures:
Often, you may notice warnings on electronic devices, lighting equipment (such as strobe lights), or video games. They may having warnings that the product may induce photosensitive epileptic seizures.
Photosensitive seizures are rare, even for people with epilepsy (less than 5%). These are not a distinct type of seizure, rather the result of a light-related stimulus that may induce the triggering of a seizure. Photosensitive seizures are often classified under the heading of “reflex epilepsy.”
They usually occur around the ages 8-20 with a higher frequency of cases during puberty. They may be triggered by both natural and artificial light – oscillating or moving patterns.
To avoid unnecessary risks, it is advised for children and adults with photosensitive seizures to sit more than 2m away from the television. This is due to the frequency of the refresh rate of the television monitor. While the incidence of television-induced photosensitive seizures is lower in North America than in Europe (due to the differences in refresh rates), people with epilepsy should still remain cautious. Computer monitors present very little risk for inducing photosensitive seizures. There are two types of monitors, CRT (cathode-ray tube) and LCD (liquid crystal display). Most CRT monitors have refresh frequencies greater than 70Hz (70 flashes/second). LCD monitors do not have full-screen refreshing and may be better in some instance for photosensitive people. However, since most people use newer model monitors, the problem of inducing photosensitive seizures is more related to software than the monitors themselves. Computer games and other programs with flashing lights and varying patterns may trigger a seizure.