Prognosis of Repeat Seizures

A seizure is a strong sudden surge of electrical activity within the brain that may affect all the brain or only a part of it. About one in 10 adults will have a seizure at some point in their lives. When a person has more than one seizure, it is considered a seizure disorder or epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.

Identification

• A seizure is typically brief, lasting only a few seconds to a few minutes. The symptoms of a seizure vary greatly. Some people may lose consciousness or have convulsions. Others may merely stare blankly, smack their lips or experience jerking movements of the limbs. Depending on what part of the brain is affected by the seizure, a person may become confused during and for awhile following the seizure. Communication may become impossible temporarily, movements may become uncontrolled or erratic and a lack of awareness may be apparent.

Diagnosis

• To diagnose epilepsy or seizure disorder, a thorough medical history is vital. The physician will need to know as many details as possible about the seizures, how long they lasted, when they occurred, the symptoms and the duration. Was the patient sick, have a fever or experience a head injury prior to the seizures? Usually, doctors will do an EEG, or electroencephalograph, which measures brain waves. Imaging procedures such as CTs, or computerized tomography, or MRIs, or magnetic resonance imaging, might also be used to diagnose epilepsy and rule out other medical causes for seizures.

Treatment

• Once epilepsy has been diagnosed, treatment should begin promptly to provide the best possible outcome. Once a second seizure has occurred, the risk of having a third or more seizures is about 80 percent. While there is no cure for epilepsy, according to the American Academy of Neurology, 80 percent of those diagnosed with epilepsy can have their disorder controlled through medication or surgical treatment.

Prognosis

• Most people with epilepsy lead normal lives and continue normal daily activity. Most seizures do not cause brain damage. However, some states do restrict driving privileges for those who experience seizures. Not receiving adequate or immediate treatment can lead to the development of hard-to-treat seizures. However, with proper treatment up to 70 percent of those with epilepsy become free of seizures for up to five years. Up to 30 percent will be able to discontinue medication eventually.

Risk Factors

• Those with the best prognoses include patients who received treatment early after suffering only a few seizures. Also, those who respond and become seizure-free on just one medication have better outlooks than those who require multiple medications or treatments. Testing can also be a strong predictor of the course of the condition. Those with normal EEG results between seizures and a normal neural examination after treatment as well as no brain damage from previous seizures have the best prognoses.