Do seizures damage your brain?

Do seizures damage your brain?

Most types of seizures do not cause damage to the brain. However, having a prolonged, uncontrolled seizure can cause harm. Because of this, treat any seizure lasting over 5 minutes as a medical emergency.

Why are seizures dangerous?

Seizures can cause car crashes when they strike someone who’s driving. They can cause people to fall and hit their head or suffer a serious injury, too. There are longer term dangers, too. People with epilepsy often have memory problems, or emotional disorders like anxiety or depression, which can be quite disabling.

Can seizures damage body?

The autonomic nervous system regulates body functions like breathing. Seizures can disrupt this system, causing breathing to temporarily stop. Interruptions in breathing during seizures can lead to abnormally low oxygen levels, and may contribute to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP).

Can seizure be cured?

Is there a cure for epilepsy? There’s no cure for epilepsy, but early treatment can make a big difference. Uncontrolled or prolonged seizures can lead to brain damage. Epilepsy also raises the risk of sudden unexplained death.

Do seizures shorten lifespan?

Epilepsy can shorten life, but most of the time it does not. Be aware of risks and take sensible precautions, but do not let the risks put you into a state of constant worry. Consult with your doctor for specific information about your risk factors for injury due to seizures.

Can a seizure cause death?

Seizures can be fatal, but dying from a seizure is uncommon . Epilepsy is a group of conditions in which people have seizures. However, a person without epilepsy can also have a seizure. Many seizure deaths come from external factors like drowning, falling, or choking that occur during a seizure.

Can a seizure damage your heart?

Seizures frequently affect the heart rate and rhythm. In most cases, seizure-related cardiac changes are transient and do not appear to cause clinically significant abnormalities for the patient.

How do seizures happen?

A seizure occurs when one or more parts of the brain has a burst of abnormal electrical signals that interrupt normal brain signals. Anything that interrupts the normal connections between nerve cells in the brain can cause a seizure.

Can seizures be life threatening?

What are the dangers of seizures?

There are serious risks to having an unchecked seizure disorder. Seizures can cause car crashes when they strike someone who’s driving. They can cause people to fall and hit their head or suffer a serious injury, too. There are longer term dangers, too.

What is the worst type of seizure?

Grand mal seizures are the most severe, and most dangerous, type of seizures. Grand mal seizures have two phases. In the first phase, called the tonic phase, the individual loses consciousness and becomes stiff; in the next phase, called the clonic phase, the individual begins to jerk, sometimes violently.

What are the risk factors of a seizure?

A number of risk factors can increase your chance of developing seizures or a seizure disorder, which include: having a previous brain infection or injury. developing a brain tumor. having a history of stroke. having a history of complex febrile seizures. using certain recreational drugs or certain medications. overdosing on drugs.

How serious are seizures?

Most seizures end on their own and don’t cause serious problems. During some seizures, people can injure themselves, develop other medical problems, or have a life-threatening emergency. The overall risk of dying for people with epilepsy is 1.6 to 3 times higher than for people without epilepsy.