epilepsy
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epilepsy symptoms

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Q: epilepsy symptoms….?
I have a cousin who is 5 and has epilepsy…I am wondering if any of you know where a good website is that I can see what type of epilepsy he has??? I know their are more than 200 types of epilepsy but I dont know what type my cousin Dylan has??? please help me find a website that I can see my cousins symptoms and see what kind he has?? thank you. (:

A: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/epilepsy.htm

Autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy (ADNFLE) is an idiopathic localization-related epilepsy that is an inheirited epileptic disorder that causes seizures during sleep. Onset is usually in childhood. These seizures arise from the frontal lobes and consist of complex motor movements, such as hand clenching, arm raising/lowering, and knee bending. Vocalizations such as shouting, moaning, or crying are also common. ADNFLE is often misdiagnosed as nightmares. ADNFLE has a genetic basis[21]. These genes encode various nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Benign centrotemporal lobe epilepsy of childhood or Benign rolandic epilepsy is an idiopathic localization-related epilepsy that occurs in children between the ages of 3 and 13 years with peak onset in prepubertal late childhood. Apart from their seizure disorder, these patients are otherwise normal. This syndrome features simple partial seizures that involve facial muscles and frequently cause drooling. Although most episodes are brief, seizures sometimes spread and generalize. Seizures are typically nocturnal and confined to sleep. The EEG may demonstrate spike discharges that occur over the centrotemporal scalp over the central sulcus of the brain (the Rolandic sulcus) that are predisposed to occur during drowsiness or light sleep. Seizures cease near puberty. [22] Seizures may require anticonvulsant treatment, but sometimes are infrequent enough to allow physicians to defer treatment.

Benign occipital epilepsy of childhood (BOEC) is an idiopathic localization-related epilepsy and consists of an evolving group of syndromes. Most authorities include two subtypes, an early subtype with onset between 3-5 years and an late onset between 7-10 years. Seizures in BOEC usually feature visual symptoms such as scotoma or fortifications (brightly colored spots or lines) or amaurosis (blindness or impairment of vision). Convulsions involving one half the body, hemiconvulsions, or forced eye deviation or head turning are common. Younger patients typically experience symptoms similar to migraine with nausea and headache, and older patients typically complain of more visual symptoms. The EEG in BOEC shows spikes recorded from the occipital (back of head) regions. Lately, a group of epilepsies termed Panayiotopoulos syndrome[23] that share some clinical features of BOEC but have a wider variety of EEG findings are classified by some as BOEC.

Catamenial epilepsy (CE) is when seizures typically occur around a woman’s menstrual cycle.

Childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) is an idiopathic generalized epilepsy that affects children between the ages of 4 and 12 years of age, although peak onset is around 5-6 years old. These patients have recurrent absence seizures, brief episodes of unresponsive staring, sometimes with minor motor features such as eye blinking or subtle chewing. The EEG finding in CAE is generalized 3 Hz spike and wave discharges. Some go on to develop generalized tonic-clonic seizures. This condition carries a good prognosis because children do not usually show cognitive decline or neurological deficits, and the seizures in the majority cease spontaneously with onging maturation.
Generalized 3 Hz spike and wave discharges in EEGDravet’s syndrome Severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy (SMEI). This generalized epilepsy syndrome is distinguished from benign myoclonic epilepsy by its severity and must be differentiated from the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Doose’s myoclonic-astatic epilepsy. Onset is in the first year of life and symptoms peak at about 5 months of age with febrile hemiclonic or generalized status epilepticus. Boys are twice as often affected as girls. Prognosis is poor. Most cases are sporadic. Family history of epilepsy and febrile convulsions is present in around 25 percent of the cases.[24]

Frontal lobe epilepsy, usually a symptomatic or cryptogenic localization-related epilepsy, arises from lesions causing seizures that occur in the frontal lobes of the brain. These epilepsies can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms of seizures can easily be confused with nonepileptic spells and, because of limitations of the EEG, be difficult to “see” with standard scalp EEG.
Juvenile absence epilepsy is an idiopathic generalized epilepsy with later onset that CAE, typically in prepubertal adolescence, with the most frequent seizure type being absence seizures. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures can occur. 3 Hz spike-wave or multiple spike discharges can be seen on EEG. Prognosis is mixed, with some patients going on to a syndrome that is poorly distinguishable from JME.

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is an idiopathic generalized epilepsy that occurs in patients aged 8 to 20 years. Patients have normal cognition and are otherwise neurologically intact. The most common seizures are myoclonic jerks, although generalized tonic-clonic seizures and absence seiz

Q: What are the symptoms of epilepsy in dogs?
Hi,

I was wondering if anyone that has epilepsy in dogs could let me know if my dog has it.

It was in the middle of the night, my dog awoke to crawl under the covers and when doing it I heard almost like a cough. Then he just fell motionless and like dead weight. It was like he had died. It took about 5-10 sec before he awoke and was like nothing had happened. I am wondering if your dog has ever experienced this and would like to let me know. He is currently 9 months old.
He is a Chinese Crested

A: The one more major symptom would be seizures. Seizures can manifest in different ways, from looking dazed and confused, to a huge grand mall seizure where they flop around uncontrollably. If he did just “fall unconscious” I would have him checked out, though he might have just been sleeping. Keep a good eye on him. Watch him through the day, if he has bouts of confusion, staring, or his eyes start shaking or wiggling back and forth and he seems dazed. He could be having a series of very small seizures, and that can be controlled pretty well with medications.

TOO ADD: Is he a little dog breed? like a tiny one? Chi or Poodle or something? The coughing and collapsing can be caused by a genetic condition called Collapsed Trachea, which is a common ailment, its usually not severe to cause too many problems but some may have it so bad that it cuts of oxygen for a short time and he might have just, as you said, have passed out for a short time because of it. Either way its time for a good check up. Insist that they look him over thoroughly.

Q: what are the symptoms of epilepsy and how many types of epilepsy are there?
please help i have one of my friend,during his sleep he freezes and foamy saliva comes out of the mouth..could this be a type of epilepsy?

A: What’re the common types of epilepsy?
There are hundreds of epilepsy syndromes, many of them very rare. These syndromes are often named for their symptoms or for the part of the brain where they originate. Each type of epilepsy has different behavioral effects and is treated with different methods. Many of these epilepsy syndromes originate in childhood or even in infancy.
Others begin in adulthood and even in old age. Except for different types of seizures, some of the most common types of epilepsy are:
Absence Epilepsy: People with absence epilepsy have repeated absence seizures. Absence epilepsy tends to run in families. The seizures frequently begin in childhood or adolescence. If the seizures begin in childhood, they usually stop at puberty. Although the seizures don’t have a lasting effect on intelligence or other brain functions, children with absence epilepsy frequently have so many seizures that it interferes with school and other normal activities.

Temporal Lobe Epilepsy: Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most frequent cause of partial seizures and aura. The temporal lobe is located close to the ear. It is the part of the brain where smell is processed and where the choice is made to express a thought or remain silent. TLE often begins in childhood. Repeated TLE seizures can damage the hippocampus, a part of the brain that is important for memory and learning. Although the damage progresses very slowly, it is important to treat TLE as early as possible.

Frontal Lobe Epilepsy: The frontal lobes of the brain lie behind the forehead. They are the largest of the five lobes and are thought to be the centers that control personality and higher thought processes, including language and speech. Frontal lobe epilepsy causes a cluster of short seizures that start and stop suddenly. The symptoms depend upon the part of the frontal lobe affected.

Occipital Lobe Epilepsy: The occipital lobe lies at the back of the skull. Occipital lobe epilepsy is like frontal and temporal lobe epilepsies, except that the seizures usually begin with visual hallucinations, rapid blinking, and other symptoms related to the eyes.

Parietal Lobe Epilepsy: The parietal lobe lies between the frontal and temporal lobes. Parietal lobe epilepsy is similar to other types in part because parietal lobe seizures tend to spread to other areas of the brain.
What’re the symptoms of epilepsy?
Almost any type of behavior that happens repetitively may represent a seizure. There are several different types of seizures that can be manifest in the pediatric age group. Some of the common types include auras, generalized tonic clonic seizures (grand mal seizures), partial seizures, absence seizures. The seizures may occur rarely or every day. Many people with epilepsy have no symptoms between seizures and lead normal lives. Some people have no symptoms for
years and may be weaned off medication.
During childhood however there are several other conditions that may be mistaken for seizures. Some of the common entities that are misdiagnosed as seizures include breath holding spells,
syncope, psychological conditions, staring spells due to inattention.

There are many forms of epilepsy, each with its own characteristic symptoms. Whatever the form, the disease is caused by a problem in communication between the brain’s nerve cells. Normally, such cells communicate with one another by sending tiny electrical signals back and forth. For someone with epilepsy, the signals from one group of nerve cells occasionally become too strong, so strong that they overwhelm neighboring parts of the brain. It is this sudden, excessive electrical discharge that causes the basic symptom of epilepsy, which is called an epileptic seizure, fit, or convulsion. It is not yet known what causes the brain’s communication system to misfire in this fashion, or

An aura is usually the first symptom experienced during a seizure. Aura can occur just prior to the occurrence of the seizure or as much as several hours before it strikes. It may consist of nothing but a sense of tension or some other ill-defined feeling, but some epileptics have quite specific auras such as an impression of smelling unpleasant odors or hearing peculiar sounds, distorted vision, or an odd bodily sensation, particularly in the stomach. Many epileptics learn to recognize their special aura, and this may give them time to avoid accidents when they become unconscious.

Petit mal epilepsy is a disease of childhood that does not usually persist past late adolescence. A child may have this form of epilepsy if, from time to time, he or she suddenly stops whatever activity is going on and stares blankly around for a few seconds (sometimes up to half a minute). During the blank interval, known as a petit mal seizure, the child is unaware of what is happening. There may be a slight jerking movement of the head or an arm, but petit mal seizures do not generally involve falling to the g

Q: What are the symptoms of Epilepsy, can it develop in your thirties and is it possible to not have seizures but
instead have horrible headaches/migraines? This is what has happened to me-relpax does not work for the migraines, only toradol and tylenol 2 or three taken together. I also suffer from panic attacks -diagnosed recently and prescribed activan and then clonazapam-previously for 17 years I was misdiagnosed with asthma (for the breathing problem caused by panic attacks) Im not sure if that’s related.
Anyway white light in particular and flashing strobe type lights cause blinding crippling pain like a knife stabbing me in the head and sometimes behind my retina. Even things like the light on a laptop computer suddenly shining towards me, a tv flashing white/silver light etc affects me-is this the onset of epilepsy or something else? I have been kept in Emergency of the Hospital for two days at a time as my blood pressure gets affected when this happens.

A: Although it is possible to develop epilepsy and suffer seizures in the thirties, or at any age for that matter- that’s probably not your problem. You don’t really develop epilepsy as a slow process, and the onset would involve a seizure of some sort. There are the classic type people think of, a grand mal episode with the uncontrolled muscular spasms, and the petit mal, or silent seizures. It’s pretty difficult to miss a grand mal seizure, even if you had one all by yourself, when you woke up several hours later, you’d realize something was wrong. You might suffer petite mal seizures and not completely realize it at first, but you would note gaps in your memory or awareness. Petit mal seizures are more like checking out of the waking world, a mental form of neutral gear if you will. Migraines can be triggered by lights, in some cases. To be really sure of what exactly ails you will require a full evaluation by a neurologist. There are many different variations in migraines, as there are treatments, it’s not a one size kind of malady. And light in particular can be excruciating to those suffering a migraine. Some people get relief from light triggered migraines through wear of colored lenses in glasses. There are a lot of folks out there who wear colored lenses for fashion statements, but a few wearing them to stave off a migraine as well. That may be one thing you could try, since it’s white light in particular that sets things in motion. It wouldn’t do much for strobe type lights, but those are not nearly as common. For the best info though, you really need a good evaluation by a neurologist.

Q: Can computer monitors affect the symptoms of epilepsy? What screens are worse or better?

A: Computer monitors, tv, etc can mess with you if you have a photosensitive epilepsy.

If seizures are triggered by flashing or flickering lights:
Ensure that the screen is in good working order.
Watch television at a distance of at least 3 metres, at a 45 degree angle.
Always have a light on in the room to reduce contrast and glare. Place some lights above and behind the viewer.
Polarised sunglasses may be helpful.
When using a modern computer, you can adjust the blink rate of the cursor.
When using a computer, try to use a modern monitor. They flicker less and “refresh” faster. Or try to use a LCD screen which doesn’t flicker

Q: What are some symptoms of epilepsy?
Is one of the symptoms, by having seizures?

A: Yes

Q: Epilepsy Symptoms? What are they?
i think i might have epilepsy, what are the exact symptoms

A: Whilst epilepsy does have some very exact symptoms, not every-ones symptoms will present in the same way and yours will be particular to you.

Often a seizure can begin with the person being aware of a strange smell, colour they can see or even a taste or feeling. This is known as the aura. This will often come about because of a trigger that is particular to that person and again this differs from person to person. For some it is flashing lights, others it will be loud noises and for others maybe it is sudden cold or extreme heat etc.

Then you may either loose moments where someone will probably say you appeared to be day dreaming, as you simply stop what you were doing, only to just begin again as though there was no gap. This type of seizure is known as a petty mal and it hard to diagnose initially as the sufferer simply ‘checks out’ for a bit!

Then there is the ‘Grand Mal’ where the person falls to the floor, looses consciousness and has a full seizure, often wetting themselves and sometimes injuring themselves. When they stop fitting, they will begin to regain awareness but will feel groggy and will have a king size headache, often just wanting to go to sleep after wards.

And then there is a complex partial seizure where an area of the body twitches with the sufferer still aware and awake, although some are blank also.

I do hope this helps

Q: Epilepsy – symptoms/ hereditary?
Just wondering about the symptoms of possibly having epilepsy may be and whether or not it is hereditary or not. Im young, only 17 and I’ve been experiencing dejas vu followed by nasea and dizzyness.. My father disscovered he had epilepsy later in life (early 30’s) when he had a seizure while driving down a 6 lane highway in a major city in Canada. Fortunatly, after making it over the median, he narrowly escaped on-coming traffic and rolled to the shoulder of the road.

A: It depends.

Some people have it through genetic/hereditary (Idiopathic generalized epilepsy & Idiopathic partial epilepsy) and some with (Symptomatic generalized epilepsy & symptomatic partial epilepsy). In symptomatic, causes maybe are tumor, infection, lead poisoning, hydrocephalus and intracranial hemorrhage. Some says, recurrent seizures is due to excessive and sudden discharge of cerebral cortical neurons.

Symptoms are staring, complete immobility, rigidity, jerking movements, frothing of the mouth and loss of bladder & bowel control.

In some cases a person with epilepsy can control the seizures just like what you have said, some sort of deja vu.

A drug therapy is usually given like Dilantin, Phenobarbital.

Q: If a person has Epilepsy and have had no symptoms for the past 18 months?
is it possible that the illness has gone ? I would appreciate your views. thanks.

A: if the person has been on a regular medication regimen and has been able to keep their stress level down. then that may be the cause for no seizures. Hormone levels can effect it, and stress also. any major and sometimes minor changes in the body can cause a seizure. It depends on the person. that is great that the seizures have not been coming for that long. It is a great sign that the person is doing something right for themselves to prevent them. I grew up with close family member with epilepsy and any change in their body would cause a seizure. She has not had one in that long herself. But she has been able to get the right medication regimen down and she does not have alot of hormonal fluctuations anymore.

Q: Bipolar and Migrains, Deja Vue, Vertigo and other epilepsy-like symptoms?
I have been diagnosed with bipolar for six years now. Symptoms have increased in severity from Type II to Type I within the first year. A few years ago, I noticed increased intense deja vue lasting much longer than most experience (5 minutes) prior to and durring hypomanic and manic episodes. More recently, I have noticed migrains accompaning hypomania. Last, I have noticed vertigo as a precurser, it happened once before prior to a very major episode, and again more recently (it’s 1:30 AM and I had 5 hours of sleep last night [yes, I am in contact with my provider])

This is not accompanied with short-term amnesia, lost time, memory imparements or paralysis which seems to laymen-me, inconsistant with partial epilepsy.

However high mania has in the past included out of body experiences as well as tunnel vision, and total amnesia for periods of days to over a week, which is also inconsistant with epilepsy (each durring hospitalization).

Does anyone else know of these symptoms?

A: Have you had any tests like an MRI or an EEG and so on to check your brain function and to see also if you may have a tumor that is adding to your syptoms? The headaches during the manic phases and tunnel vision with amnesia concerns me.

Q: i usually have the petit epilepsy symptoms but during my periods i have a generalised attacks?

A: It’s possible that hormonal fluctuations lower your seizure threshold. This is something that you need to discuss with your doctor. It may be that your medication regimen needs to be different during your periods. Good luck.

Q: Are my symptoms typical “epilepsy” symptoms or could something greater be going on that has been mis-diagnosed?
I am a 32 y.o. white female diagnosed with epilepsy on 2/13/09. I had only started having ’severe’ symptoms the two weeks leading up to the diagnosis including simple focal seizures and a fogginess feeling in my brain. The diagnosis was made after a GranMal seizure on 2/13/09. Since then I have been paying attention to my body more and noticed that I have been having frequent pressure like headaches. My balance is off at times – today I fell when walking up a hall because my knees gave out. My hands have been very shakey and I noticed that I have problems focusing on things initially until my eyes unfog. It is sometimes difficult to talk because my mouth feels stiff and I have occasional difficult with stiffness in my left hand. I have even started having an eye twitch where my eyes will blink rapidly for about 2 to 3 seconds and then stop. I have sporadic joint pain and recently started with sharp pains over the left side of my chest that feel like badly pulled muscles or something. I am starting to become worried that I might have an underlying cardiac condition or that I could possibly be in early stages of Multiple Sclerosis. Does anyone out there have any advise or insight on what could be going on with me? I can’t seem to be relaxed about my health. I have a call into my neurologist but it seems like there is no way to confidently diagnos this without test after test and I am hopeful to find someone going through the same problems as I. Thank you for your feedback.

A: I’ve never heard of anyone with the pain on the left side of the chest that didn’t have the start of some kind of cardiac problem. I know it sucks, but I HIGHLY recommend you suck it up and do the ‘test after test’ for a proper diagnosis. I could tell someone that I’m a 58 year old thoracic surgeon on here and there would be no way to tell if I was telling the truth or not. Just, for safety and common sense sakes, go to your doctor with this. Even if nothing is found, it’s better knowing from a professional than an online “professional avatar” eh? I sincerely hope that you find the answers you need.

Q: Shih Tzu dog epilepsy symptoms? Does anyone know what this problem is??
About every 2-3 months my Shih Tzu dog has some kind of problem where he acts like he is afraid and thinks he has to cling to me like glue. He cant keep still in one spot for long and climbs around all over me before he settles down breifly, then repeats the same behavior over and over. Most of the time it starts in an evening and lasts all night, then by the next day he is fine again. He always sleeps in his dog bed except when he is like this, then he thinks he has to cling to me all nightlong. He acts like he is either afraid, or something momentarily hurts. A couple of times when I have taken him out to go potty, during these times when he is like this, he has crawled under my car and wont come out and seems to be afraid. I really don’t have a clue what this problem is. Does anyones Shih Tzu have this same Problem ? My husband thinks that maybe it’s signs of epilepsy. Does anyone else have a shih tzu that does this and know what causes it. I appreciate any help.

A: Your best bet would be to take him to a neurologist.

It does sound as if he is having some episodes, and he must be terrified. There are drugs to counterract that, and the neuro guy would be able to help you choose, and perhaps identify the problem best.

Before you go, though, have the regular vet do a blood panel to make sure there’s nothing obvious underlying this – and have him tested for lead poisoning, which can cause seizures.

There is a Yahoo group for people with epi dogs that you might find supportive as well.

Q: Do you think I have epilepsy? (symptoms within)?
Over the past year or so I’ve been experiencing weird episodes of what I thought was just normal deja vu.
However, it’s been steadily worsening.
The most recent episode occurred in the shower, and suddenly I was overcome with this feeling of deja vu accompanied by what was almost like a vision or hallucination. That completely blocked out my eyesight and I got so dizzy I almost fell over. I held the rail in the shower to keep myself upright. The episode seemed to last about 30 seconds, and then when it was over I was so nauseous and dizzy I practically threw up.

I’ve also had really bad memory lately, I keep forgetting things when I used to have a fantastic memory.

What do you think? I am considering consulting a doctor.

And yes, I do have a family history of epilepsy.

A: It would definitely be worth your time to seek an Epileptologist and describe your symptoms to him/her. The very first time I had any of the warning signs of epilepsy, it mirrored your episode. I too managed to get out of the tub, had to lay on the floor, and was nauseated. It took months for my Doctors to refer me to an Epileptologist and if I knew what I know now, I would have started there.

Hope you feel better,

Jerry

Q: What Are The Symptoms For Epilepsy?

A: Multiple seizures, whether they happen one right after the other, or over a period of days. Disturbance of consciousness or awareness, Shaking and not being able to control the movement of your body. The person right after they have one may seem confused, they don’t realize many times that they have had one.

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