4 Important Factors You Need to Know about Partial Onset Seizures
What is a partial onset seizure? An abnormal electrical activity in the human brain causes these types of seizures. Specific underlying medical conditions can also lead to a seizure, and the patients have to keep a record of their seizures to assist the doctor to find out the triggers in a more efficient way. Here are the four important aspects you need to know about partial onset seizure:
Learn about major symptoms of partial onset seizures
Partial onset seizures can be classified into two categories, and they include simple partial seizures and complex partial seizures. As far as a simple partial onset seizure is concerned, you do not have to worry about losing consciousness. However, you may have to deal with a change in feelings or emotions at the same time. The way in which you hear, smell, or see things is also going to change. It can often be compared to a focal seizure without losing consciousness. When it comes to complex partial seizure, you may have to deal with the loss of consciousness and awareness. Meaningless or non-purposeful movements can be associated with a complex seizure. Rubbing your hands and smacking your lips are good examples and this type of partial seizure can also be referred to as focal dyscognitive seizure.
Create better understanding of the leading causes
Different types of lifestyle factors, underlying medical conditions and behaviors play an important role in triggering a seizure. If you can manage to find out the trigger, you will become successful in preventing future seizures. You can control some of the triggers in an easy way, but some others are really difficult to control. When you have to deal with a seizure, you have to consult with your doctor. You can take notes about the past seizures you have encountered, and this method helps your doctor find out the frequency of seizures and your pattern of behavior during each seizure. Clear cut awareness of these things assists the doctor developing the diagnosis and deciding about your triggers before coming up with the best treatment plan for you. There are cases where doctors may not be able to find out the cause of the seizure, and these types of seizures are known as idiopathic seizures. Yung adults and children are highly vulnerable to this condition.
Understand the behaviors and lifestyle habits that trigger partial onset seizure
At some occasions, behaviors and lifestyle habits work as the triggers of seizures. It is a well-known fact that alcohol contents interfere with your brain activity. When you consume a lot of alcohol, it interrupts the brain’s normal electrical activity, and this situation can lead to a seizure. Caffeine is a stimulant that can be found in chocolates, coffee, tea, soda, and many other types of beverages, and it also changes the electrical activity taking place in your brain to make you vulnerable to seizure. Nicotine can be described as an addictive chemical, usually found in tobacco and it interferes with the electrical signals in your brain to increase the risk of seizures. When you control or stop smoking, the risk of a seizure can be reduced. Several people are using and abusing recreational drugs, and this habit always throws up the risk of having a seizure. There are specific prescription and over-the-counter medications that trigger seizures, and at some occasions, drug withdrawal may lead to seizure as well. Other factors that trigger a seizure include lack of adequate sleep, excess stress, and the environment. When you lose sleep, brain function gets disturbed, and this situation increases the risk of seizures. You must ensure that you are getting good sleep every night. Extended exposure to unwanted stress disturbs the hormone production, and this condition may trigger a seizure attack. Some visual stimuli can lead to a seizure. For example, some experience a seizure while playing a video game or watching television.
Know the health conditions that trigger seizures
Several health conditions also make people vulnerable to seizures. One example is severe head trauma, and it can be an injury to the neck, head, or brain. Prenatal brain damage problems can make the children susceptible to this condition, and they include prolonged injury, improper nutrition, and oxygen deficiencies. Another health condition is the brain tumor, and certain developmental conditions such as autism are often linked with partial onset seizures. Other leading health conditions include progressive brain diseases, vascular diseases, low blood sugar levels, and infections.
Finding the exact cause of the seizure requires some time and you have to work with your doctor to make the right decision. The doctors conduct medical tests to identify the underlying health conditions, and you must be able to provide relevant information about your medical history to help the doctor diagnose the problem with great precision. When you create solid understanding about these four factors, you can manage and control your seizure attacks in a much better way.