Symptoms of Epilepsy

List of symptoms of Epilepsy:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Epilepsy includes the 31 symptoms listed below:

• Convulsions
• Muscle spasms
• Loss of consciousness
• Grand mal seizures - see symptoms of grand mal seizures:
• Petit mal seizures - see symptoms of petit mal seizures:
• Strange sensations
• Strange emotions
• Strange behavior
• Symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy
  • Sudden behavior changes
  • Unusual behavior
  • Aggression
  • Anger
  • Agitation
• Symptoms of focal epilepsy
  • Localized muscle spasm
  • Whole body muscle spasm
  • Twitches
  • Tics
  • Hallucinations
  • No loss of consciousness
• Symptoms of a prodrome for convulsions (some people only):
  • Changed hearing
  • Visual disturbances
  • Smell sensations
  • Mood changes
  • Muscle pain
  • Muscle tremor
• Symptoms of status epilepticus:
  • Continuous sequence of seizures
  • Grand mal status epilepticus - continuous series of grand mal seizures

Note that Epilepsy symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Epilepsy signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Epilepsy

Do I have Epilepsy?

• Epilepsy: Introduction
• Epilepsy: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Epilepsy
• Failure to Diagnose Epilepsy
• Hidden Causes of Epilepsy
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Epilepsy
• More about Epilepsy

Wrongly Diagnosed with Epilepsy?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Epilepsy includes:

• Basilar artery migraine - BAM is often misdiagnosed as epilepsy; an EEG can differentiate them.
• Convulsions - not all fits or convulsions are epilepsy
• Febrile convulsions
• Syncope
• Cardiac arrhythmia

See the full list of 18 alternative diagnoses for Epilepsy

More about symptoms of Epilepsy:

More information about symptoms of Epilepsy and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Epilepsy
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Epilepsy
• Underlying causes of Epilepsy
• Risk factors for Epilepsy

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Aggression - see all causes of Aggression
• Agitation - see all causes of Agitation
• Anger - see all causes of Anger
• Changed hearing - see all causes of Hearing impairment
• Continuous sequence of seizures - see all causes of Seizures
• Convulsions - see all causes of Convulsions
• Grand mal seizures - see all causes of Grand mal seizures
• Grand mal status epilepticus - see all causes of Seizures
• Hallucinations - see all causes of Hallucinations
• Localized muscle spasm - see all causes of Muscle spasms
• Loss of consciousness - see all causes of Syncope
• Mood changes - see all causes of Moodiness
• Muscle pain - see all causes of Muscle pain
• Muscle spasms - see all causes of Muscle spasms
• Muscle tremor - see all causes of Muscle tremor
• Petit mal seizures - see all causes of Seizures
• Smell sensations - see all causes of Smell symptoms
• Strange behavior - see all causes of Behavioral symptoms
• Strange emotions - see all causes of Moodiness
• Strange sensations - see all causes of Sensations
• Sudden behavior changes - see all causes of Behavioral symptoms
• Symptoms of focal epilepsy
• Symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy
• Tics - see all causes of Tics
• Twitches - see all causes of Twitches
• Unusual behavior - see all causes of Behavioral symptoms
• Visual disturbances - see all causes of Vision distortion
• Whole body muscle spasm - see all causes of Spasms

Medical Books Online about Epilepsy

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Full text. Free access without registration. The full text of published medical book chapters related to Epilepsy is available from published medical books for more detailed information about Epilepsy.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2007 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Epilepsy: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review the full text of medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Epilepsy.

Epilepsy: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

The hallmarks of epilepsy are recurring seizures, which can be classified as partial or generalized (some patients may be affected by more than one type).

Partial seizures arise from a localized area of the brain, causing specific symptoms. In some patients, partial seizure activity may spread to the entire brain, causing a generalized seizure. Partial seizures include simple partial (jacksonian) and complex partial seizures (psychomotor or temporal lobe).

A simple partial motor-type seizure begins as a localized motor seizure characterized by a spread of abnormal activity to adjacent areas of the brain. It typically produces stiffening or jerking in one extremity, accompanied by a tingling sensation in the same area. For example, it may start in the thumb and spread to the entire hand and arm. The patient seldom loses consciousness, although the seizure may progress to a generalized seizure.

A simple partial sensory-type seizure involves perceptual distortion, which can include hallucinations.

The symptoms of a complex partial seizure vary but usually include purposeless behavior. The patient experiences an aura immediately before the seizure. An aura represents the beginning of abnormal electrical discharges within a focal area of the brain and may include a pungent smell, GI distress (nausea or indigestion), a rising or sinking feeling in the stomach, a dreamy feeling, an unusual taste, or a visual disturbance. Overt signs of a complex partial seizure include a glassy stare, picking at one’s clothes, aimless wandering, lip-smacking or chewing motions, and unintelligible speech; these signs may last for just a few seconds or as long as 20 minutes. Mental confusion may last several minutes after the seizure; as a result, an observer may mistakenly suspect intoxication with alcohol or drugs or psychosis.

Generalized seizures, as the term suggests, cause a generalized electrical abnormality within the brain and include several distinct types:

❑Absence (petit mal) seizures occur most commonly in children, although they may affect adults as well. They usually begin with a brief change in level of consciousness, indicated by blinking or rolling of the eyes, a blank stare, and slight mouth movements. There’s little or no tonic-clonic movement. The patient retains his posture and continues preseizure activity without difficulty. Typically, each seizure lasts from 1 to 10 seconds. If not properly treated, seizures can recur as often as 100 times per day. An absence seizure may progress to generalized tonic-clonic seizures.

❑A myoclonic (bilateral massive epileptic myoclonus) seizure is characterized by brief, involuntary muscular jerks of the body or extremities, which may occur in a rhythmic fashion and may precede generalized tonic-clonic seizures by months or years.

❑A generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure typically begins with a loud cry, precipitated by air rushing from the lungs through the vocal cords. The patient then falls to the ground, losing consciousness. The body stiffens (tonic phase) and then alternates between episodes of muscular spasm and relaxation (clonic phase). Tongue-biting, incontinence, labored breathing, apnea, and subsequent cyanosis may also occur. The seizure stops in 2 to 5 minutes, when abnormal electrical conduction of the neurons is completed. The patient then regains consciousness but is somewhat confused and may have difficulty talking. If he can talk, he may complain of drowsiness, fatigue, headache, muscle soreness, and arm or leg weakness. He may fall into deep sleep after the seizure. These seizures may start as facial seizures and spread to become generalized.

An akinetic seizure is characterized by a general loss of postural tone (the patient falls in a flaccid state) and a temporary loss of consciousness. It occurs in young children and is sometimes called a “drop attack” because it causes the child to fall.

Status epilepticus is a continuous seizure state that can occur in all seizure types. The most life-threatening example is generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus, a continuous generalized tonic-clonic seizure without intervening return of consciousness. Status epilepticus is accompanied by respiratory distress. It can result from abrupt withdrawal of anticonvulsant medications, hypoxic encephalopathy, acute head trauma, metabolic encephalopathy, or septicemia secondary to encephalitis or meningitis.

READ FULL BOOK TEXT ONLINE »

Epilepsy: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

The hallmark of epilepsy is recurring seizures, which can be classified as partial, generalized, status epilepticus, or unclassified (some patients may be affected by more than one type).

Partial seizures

Arising from a localized area of the brain, partial seizures cause focal symptoms. These seizures are classified by their effect on consciousness and whether they spread throughout the motor strip, causing a generalized seizure. When simple or complex seizures evolve to both sides of the brain, they’re termed secondary generalized seizures.

A simple partial seizure begins locally and generally doesn’t cause an alteration in consciousness. It isn’t uncommon for this type to present with sensory symptoms (lights flashing, smells, hearing hallucinations), autonomic symptoms (sweating, flushing, pupil dilation), and psychic symptoms (dream states, anger, fear). The seizure lasts for a few seconds and occurs without preceding or provoking events.

A complex partial seizure involves impairment in consciousness. Amnesia for the events that occur during and immediately after the seizure is a differentiating characteristic. During the seizure, the patient may follow simple commands. This type of partial seizure generally lasts for 1 to 3 minutes.

Generalized seizures

As the term suggests, generalized seizures cause a generalized electrical abnormality within the brain. They can be convulsive or nonconvulsive and include several types.

❑ Absence seizures occur most commonly in children, although they may affect adults. They usually begin with a brief change in level of consciousness, indicated by blinking or rolling of the eyes, a blank stare, and slight mouth movements. The patient retains his posture and continues preseizure activity without difficulty. Typically, each seizure lasts from 1 to 10 seconds. If not properly treated, seizures can recur as often as 100 times per day. An

absence seizure is a nonconvulsive seizure, but it may progress to a generalized tonic-clonic seizure.

❑ Myoclonic seizures (bilateral massive epileptic myoclonus) are characterized by brief, involuntary muscular jerks of the body or extremities, which may occur in a rhythmic manner. Consciousness isn’t usually affected.

❑ Generalized tonic-clonic seizures typically begin with a loud cry, precipitated by air rushing from the lungs through the vocal cords. The patient then loses consciousness and falls to the ground. The body stiffens (tonic phase) and then alternates between episodes of muscle spasm and relaxation (clonic phase). Tongue biting, incontinence, labored breathing, apnea, and subsequent cyanosis may also occur.

The seizure stops in 2 to 5 minutes, when abnormal electrical conduction of the neurons is completed. The patient then regains consciousness but is confused and may have difficulty talking. If he can talk, he may complain of drowsiness, fatigue, headache, muscle soreness, and arm or leg weakness. He may fall into a deep sleep after the seizure.

❑ Atonic seizures are characterized by a general loss of postural tone and a temporary loss of consciousness. They occur in young children and are sometimes called “drop attacks” because they cause the child to fall.

Status epilepticus

Status epilepticus is a continuous seizure state that can occur in all seizure types. The most life-threatening example is generalized tonic-clonic status epilepticus, a continuous generalized tonic-clonic seizure without intervening return of consciousness.

Status epilepticus is accompanied by respiratory distress. It can result from abrupt withdrawal of anticonvulsant medications, hypoxic encephalopathy, acute head trauma, metabolic encephalopathy, or septicemia secondary to encephalitis or meningitis.

Unclassified seizures

This category is reserved for seizures that don’t fit the characteristics of partial or generalized seizures or status epilepticus. Included as unclassified are events that lack the data to make a more definitive diagnosis.

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Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Epilepsy:

Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology (Excerpt)

Epilepsy can strike at any time of life --- from infancy to old age. While epilepsy varies widely in type and severity, all forms of this disorder are characterized by recurring seizures resulting from abnormal cell firing in the brain. (Source: Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology)

NINDS Epilepsy Information Page: NINDS (Excerpt)

Having a seizure does not necessarily mean that a person has epilepsy. Only when a person has had two or more seizures is he or she considered to have epilepsy. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Epilepsy Information Page: NINDS)

Epilepsy as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Epilepsy, it is also important to consider Epilepsy as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Epilepsy may cause:

• Acute confusional state
• Fits
• Incontinence, urine
• Rhabdomyolysis

Epilepsy as a symptom:

For a more detailed analysis of Epilepsy as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Epilepsy.

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Epilepsy
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Epilepsy
• How serious is Epilepsy?
• More about Epilepsy
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Epilepsy:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Epilepsy. This signs and symptoms information for Epilepsy has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Epilepsy signs or Epilepsy symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Epilepsy may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Epilepsy symptoms.