About Partial Seizures

According to a study conducted in 2006 by Epilepsy Action, 60 percent of those who are epileptic suffer from partial seizures. While they are the most common seizure type among epileptics, they can also be the most difficult to diagnose. However, once the location and the type has been determined, these seizures can be prevented and controlled through various methods.

Significance

• Partial seizures, also known as frontal lobe seizures, can be experienced as a single episode, or can be recurring. Recurring seizures in a person will deem them epileptic. Most of the time, the cause of partial siezures cannot be determined. There are people who are at a higher risk than others. These include those who have a family history of partial seizures, those who have suffered head trauma or a stroke and those who have suffered from a brain infection. Unless proper medical treatment is sought, an underlying medical condition could go undetected.

Function

• While all seizures are an effect of an electrical disturbance in the brain caused by damaged brain tissue, the type of seizure experienced is dependent upon the exact location of the disturbance. Partial seizures will either begin in the temporal or frontal lobe of the brain. For a doctor to prescribe the proper medications, the exact location of the abnormal tissue must be located. This can be deteremined through an EEG, which is a test that transmits electrical impulses to the brain. The impulses can cause the symptoms of the seizure to present themselves, showing the area of the brain the symptoms originate in. The location can also be determined through a Cat Scan or MRI. Upon diagnosis, treatment can begin, either with the use of oral anti-convulsant medications, or through surgery to remove the damaged tissue.

Types

• There are simple partial seizures, which are considered the aura, or warning, that a complex partial seizure is about to take place. Physicians categorize partial seizures according to the symptoms the patient experiences. There are psychic seizures that can change the epileptic's behavior due to the experiences they have during the seizure. Some experience a feeling of deja vu, some may not be able to speak clearly and others are not able to use the right words when describing something. In autonomic seizures, the nervous system is effected and loss of bodily functions is common. Sensory seizures will affect any of the epileptic's senses, causing them to hear or see things that are not there, or causing them to taste and smell things that do not exist. Finally there are the motor seizures that can cause a jerking motion either throughout the body, or on one side of the body.

Considerations

• Partial seizures can be successfully treated through the use of a single medication or through the combination of more than one medication. Many of these medications have unwanted side effects though, and it is never guaranteed that they will control partial seizures. If you have tried several medications to no avail, another option exists and that is a Vagal Nerve Stimulator. This is a device similar to a pacemaker, which is placed just under the skin between the neck and chest. It works by sending timed electrical impulses to the brain through a nerve in the neck called the vagus nerve. These impulses can help destroy the damaged tissue in the brain causing the seizures. The vagal nerve stimulator is a fairly new form of treatment and studies are still being conducted as to how it controls seizures and eliminates the need for medication. If you have tried a numerous amount of medications without success, then you may want to ask your doctor about this treatment.

Warning

• The diagnosis of partial seizures is not something that should be taken lightly. If you find yourself frequently experiencing loss of awareness, time lapses, or those around you have told you that you were unresponsive while they were trying to talk to you, then you may be suffering from partial seizures. Another symptom associated with these seizures is uncontrollable thrusts of the pelvis and movements with your legs that appear as though you are riding a bike. All of these are uncontrollable and while your eyes may be open, you are not aware and will have no memory from the time they start until after they have ended. If it is the first time you have experienced a seizure, go directly to the emergency room, as seizures are also caused by serious health conditions such as tumors. A complete physical and neurological exam will be the only way to determine what is wrong and how to treat it.