Seizures are electrical misfiring’s in the brain. Sudden outbursts in electrical activity in the brain usually result in very noticeable symptoms including violent shaking and the patients’ complete loss of control over their body. It is important to note that not all seizures are the same so if you want to fully understand what are seizures then read on.

Types of Seizures:

There are several different types of conditions that are classified as seizures. The most common are non-epileptic seizures that are the result of an injury or an illness. These types of seizures will go away once an effective form of treatment has been introduced.

There are also partial seizures, which occur in those who suffer from epilepsy. In these cases, epileptic seizures only affect one half of the brain so only one side of the body is affected during a seizure.

Generalized Seizures:

Generalized seizures occur on both sides of the brain at the same time. Many people have witnessed a grand mal seizure. This is the kind of seizure that people think about when asked about epilepsy in general. Its primary features are violent muscle contractions and even loss of consciousness. However, it should be noted that epilepsy is not the only possible cause of a grand mal seizure; it can be brought about by high fever, stroke, or extremely low blood sugar levels.

Symptoms of the Seizure:

The severity of a seizure will depend largely on the type of seizure you have and its duration, but the seizures in themselves have similar symptoms. Prior to the onset of a seizure you might experience a sudden anxious feeling, sickness in the stomach, dizziness, a change in vision, or a jerky movement in the arms and legs.

During a seizure you may lose consciousness followed by confusion, uncontrollable muscle spasms, drooling at the front of the mouth, falling, or having a strange taste in your mouth. Some may have to clench their teeth, bite their tongue, or experience sudden mood changes.

Seizure Treatment:

To get the proper treatment for seizures you need to know the cause. Since there is no cure for seizures it is important that you know the cause. The purpose of this is twofold. If you want to prevent them from occurring in the future you may try medications, surgery, nerve stimulation, and a following a special diet.

Understanding what are seizures can be useful in a lot of positive treatment options. In most cases, a regular plan of treatment can reduce and sometimes stop seizures from happening altogether.

If you're concerned about someone who has had a seizure, make sure you know exactly what you're dealing with. When a seizure occurs, clear the area around the patients so they don't hurt themselves and turn them over on their side and wait for the seizure to pass.

If the seizure lasts for two long (3 minutes or longer), if they fail to wake up, or they have repeated episodes you should call for emergency help. The more you know about what are seizures the better able you'll be to help people when they have one.