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Epilepsy & Abdominal Pain

A person suffering from epilepsy may experience many kinds of warning symptoms before the onset of a seizure attack. Common symptoms include dizziness and numbness. However, some people may also experience abdominal pain or cramps right before an epileptic attack, a phenomenon that experts consider rare for those with epilepsy.

  1. About Epilepsy

    • Epilepsy, also known as a seizure disorder, is a neurological condition that affects the nervous system. The seizures that accompany an epileptic attack may be related to genetics or a brain injury, but in most cases doctors simply don't know what the cause is.

    About Abdominal Epilepsy

    • Stomach pain that may occur before a seizure attack for those suffering from epilepsy is also called a “gastric aura.” Such pain is often sudden before a seizure episode, and is considered a partial type of seizure accompanied by nausea and vomiting. This syndrome is incredibly rare and is more likely to occur in children. However, it is such an uncommon disorder that some experts question whether or not it is a symptom of an epileptic attack or a coincidence, according to WebMd.

    Symptoms of Abdominal Epilepsy

    • Seizures in an abdominal epileptic attack primarily affect the digestive system, which results in symptoms of usually sharp or cramping abdominal pain lasting seconds to minutes, nausea and vomiting, lethargy or sleep after a seizure, confusion or unresponsiveness, and convulsive seizures. These symptoms can vary from person to person, and may not always be present during every attack.

    Causes of Abdominal Epilepsy

    • As of 2010, no one knows what causes gastric auras. It is such a rare condition that no serious studies have been conducted on the phenomenon.

    Treatment of Abdominal Epilepsy

    • Gastric auras are usually treated with anticonvulsant medications to improve the symptoms and stabilize a seizure attack. However, with no concrete studies conducted on abdominal epilepsy, it is unknown whether other drugs would also be effective in treating the disorder.

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