Condition

What is it?

A seizure is a manifestation of abnormal neuronal activity in the brain cortex. A seizure may occur for many reasons, including illness, head injury, toxic exposure, fever, or brain lesion.

Repeated seizures with no known cause will merit a diagnosis of epilepsy. It is important to distinguish that seizures can be a one-time occurrence, but epilepsy implies recurrent seizures without provocation.

Febrile seizures can occur when a child becomes sick and their body temperature rises quickly. This is not epilepsy, and does not predispose the child to epilepsy or brain injury in the future. In fact, one study showed that children who experience febrile seizures have higher future measured IQs than their “typical” peers.

Key Points:

• One seizure does not mean a person has epilepsy
• Seizure during a fever is common, and does not cause brain damage or predispose to epilepsy
• There are many types of seizures depending on the affected part of the brain
• Some children with epilepsy grow out of the condition as their brain matures
• Seizures can range in severity from a momentary lapse of memory to complete convulsions and loss of consciousness
• Blood work, diagnostic imaging and EEG are needed to determine the cause of repetitive seizures