Petit mal seizures

Introduction: Petit mal seizures

A temporary disturbance of the brain caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain which causes a brief lack of conscious activity. The person will stop moving or talking and stare into space for a few seconds. Some muscle jerking and twitching may also occur. Once the seizure has passed the person recovers quickly and carries on with what they were doing with no memory of the episode. These seizures can occur occasionally or very frequently, hundreds per day in some cases. Falling is very rare with this type of seizure which is most prevalent in children. The cause may be hereditary, congenital or associated with conditions such as brain injury or kidney disease. Also called absence seizure.

Symptoms of Petit mal seizures

• Onset of petit mal seizures:
  • Brief loss of response
  • Temporary lack of awareness
  • Blank expression
  • Apparent "spacing out"

See full list of 12 symptoms of Petit mal seizures

Medical Textbooks Online about Petit mal seizures

Book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Wrongly Diagnosed with Petit mal seizures?

• Misdiagnosis of Petit mal seizures
• Failure to diagnose Petit mal seizures
• Underlying causes of Petit mal seizures (possibly wrongly diagnosed)
• Failure to diagnose Petit mal seizures

Misdiagnosis and Petit mal seizures

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Read more about Misdiagnosis and Petit mal seizures

Causes of Petit mal seizures

Read more about causes of Petit mal seizures.

More information about causes of Petit mal seizures:

• Petit mal seizures as a symptom
• Medical news summaries relating to Causes of Petit mal seizures

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Patient Surveys for Petit mal seizures

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Prognosis for Petit mal seizures

More about prognosis of Petit mal seizures

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