Can a seizure cause brain damage?

Prolonged seizures are clearly capable of injuring the brain. Isolated, brief seizures are likely to cause negative changes in brain function and possibly loss of specific brain cells.


What kind of brain damage can seizures cause?

Brain atrophy

A 2017 meta-analysis assessed 42 articles on temporal lobe epilepsy that was resistant to treatment with antiseizure medications. The researchers found that: The reviewed studies suggested a progressive loss of neurons or connections between neurons (brain atrophy) in this type of epilepsy.

Can the brain recover after a seizure?

Some people recover immediately while others may take minutes to hours to feel like their usual self. The type of seizure, as well as what part of the brain the seizure impacts, affects the recovery period – how long it may last and what may occur during it.


What are the long term effects of a seizure?

People with seizures are more likely to have psychological problems, such as depression and anxiety. Problems may be a result of difficulties dealing with the condition itself as well as medication side effects.

How long can a seizure last before brain damage?

A seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes, or having more than 1 seizure within a 5 minutes period, without returning to a normal level of consciousness between episodes is called status epilepticus. This is a medical emergency that may lead to permanent brain damage or death.


What Happens in Your Brain During a Seizure | WebMD



What are signs of brain damage?

Physical symptoms
  • Loss of consciousness from several minutes to hours.
  • Persistent headache or headache that worsens.
  • Repeated vomiting or nausea.
  • Convulsions or seizures.
  • Dilation of one or both pupils of the eyes.
  • Clear fluids draining from the nose or ears.
  • Inability to awaken from sleep.


Do seizures shorten life expectancy?

Reduction in life expectancy can be up to 2 years for people with a diagnosis of idiopathic/cryptogenic epilepsy, and the reduction can be up to 10 years in people with symptomatic epilepsy.

What damage can seizures cause?

Seizures, particularly repetitive seizures, cause substantial brain damage in highly susceptible areas, such as parts of the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, amygdala, thalamus and other limbic structures; however, neuronal death after seizures can be more widespread and is generally quite variable (e.g., [24, 77]).


What is the main cause of a seizure?

Anything that interrupts the normal connections between nerve cells in the brain can cause a seizure. This includes a high fever, high or low blood sugar, alcohol or drug withdrawal, or a brain concussion. But when a person has 2 or more seizures with no known cause, this is diagnosed as epilepsy.

What would cause a seizure all of a sudden?

Seizures can happen for many reasons; It may be from high levels of salt or sugar in your blood; brain injury from a stroke or head injury brain problems you are born with or perhaps a brain tumor. Dementia, such as Alzheimer's disease, high fever or illnesses or infections that hurt your brain.

Can seizures cause irreversible brain damage?

Abstract. Data from experimental models provide evidence that both prolonged and brief seizures can cause irreversible impairment in spatial and emotional learning and memory.


Is memory loss after a seizure permanent?

You may have difficulty remembering information straight after a seizure. This is sometimes called post-ictal confusion and it usually goes away once you have recovered. The length of time it takes for memory to return to normal can vary from person to person.

What are the 4 stages of a seizure?

The four phases of seizure are:
  • Prodromal.
  • Early ictal (the “aura”)
  • Ictal.
  • Postictal.


What part of the brain is most affected by seizures?

The temporal lobes are the areas of the brain that most commonly give rise to seizures. The mesial portion (middle) of both temporal lobes is very important in epilepsy — it is frequently the source of seizures and can be prone to damage or scarring.


Can seizures lead to dementia?

People with epilepsy develop Alzheimer's disease at a rate 6 times higher than the non-epileptic population, and seizures can damage the memory centers of the brain and contribute to dementia.

How long does it take to recover from a seizure?

Witnessing a person having a tonic-clonic seizure can be upsetting, but it's important to remember that most seizures resolve on their own after one to three minutes.

Can doctors tell if you've had a seizure?

Tests for diagnosing seizures

If this is your first seizure, your doctor may want to do some scans to look at the structures in your brain. A common form of imaging is MRI. Your doctor may also want to assess how the naturally occurring activity in your brain is functioning. To do this, an EEG is performed.


What does a seizure feel like in your head?

You might also feel strange and experience tingling, anxiety, or déjà vu. If you lose consciousness during a seizure, you won't feel anything as it happens. But you might wake up feeling confused, tired, sore, or scared. Most seizures are not a medical emergency.

What are early warning signs of a seizure?

People with partial seizures may experience the following signs seconds or minutes before the actual seizure:
  • Unusual smells, tastes, sounds, or sensations.
  • Nausea.
  • A Déjà vu feeling (you feel like you are experiencing something that has occurred before)
  • Intense fear and panic.


What is the most life threatening type of seizure?

Status epilepticus happens when a seizure lasts for more than five minutes, or you have more than one seizure without enough time between to recover. Status epilepticus is a life-threatening medical emergency because it can cause brain damage or even death.


What is the most serious complication of a seizure disorder?

SUDEP is likely the most common disease-related cause of death in people with epilepsy. SUDEP is thought to occur when a person with epilepsy who is in their usual state of health dies unexpectedly. The death is not related to an accident and no other cause of death can be found if an autopsy is done.

What are the chances of surviving seizures?

It is estimated that up to 70% of people living with epilepsy could live seizure- free if properly diagnosed and treated. The risk of premature death in people with epilepsy is up to three times higher than for the general population.

Can seizures get worse with age?

Does epilepsy get worse with age? If you were diagnosed with epilepsy while you were a child or a teenager, the condition is likely to eventually go away or become easier to control. That being said, it can get worse for some, while other people continue having occasional seizures for their whole lives.


What is the difference between seizures and epilepsy?

A seizure is a single occurrence, whereas epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by two or more unprovoked seizures.

Do epileptics need more sleep?

If you have epilepsy, lack of "good sleep" makes most people more likely to have seizures. It can even increase the intensity and length of seizures.