Seizures (convulsions) are uncoordinated bursts of neural activity that results in brain dysfunction. Symptoms depending on the extent of the seizure and the part of the brain affected, can be mild, staring or twitching, to severe, total loss of consciousness and whole-body convulsions.
Epilepsy is a chronic seizure disorder with a variety of different types of seizures. All patients with epilepsy have seizures, but not all patients with seizures have epilepsy. 1 to 2% of US residents have epilepsy; 1 in 10 will have a single unprovoked seizure within his or her lifetime.
Drug therapy can sometimes reduce the seizure threshold in the brain. The most common type of seizure is a partial seizure affecting a localized area of the brain. Patients do not typically lose consciousness; a defined area of the body is affected; manifest as twitching or muscle tightness; some patients may experience hallucinations or visual disturbances; patients can usually communicate during a partial seizure.
Generalized seizures do not occur as often, but are dramatized in movies and other media; loss of consciousness typically occurs; after, patients experience a period of memory loss, confusion, and tiredness that can last minutes to hours.
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