Absence seizures are sudden pauses in conscious activity caused by abnormal electrical functioning in the brain, often associated with epilepsy. They can cause muscle movements, involuntary staring, and a drop in concentration. Antiepileptic medications can help manage symptoms, and medical attention is needed for diagnosis and treatment. The disorder is more common in children and adolescents and can be inherited or caused by drug abuse, alcohol withdrawal, head injury, or birth defects.
Absence seizures are short, sudden pauses in conscious activity that result from abnormal electrical functioning in the brain. These types of seizures are characteristic of a neurological disorder called epilepsy, and an affected individual can potentially have several dozen or hundreds of episodes a day. An absence seizure can last from a split second to about 15 seconds and can lead to a drop in concentration, unusual muscle movements, and involuntary staring. Most people with this type of epilepsy can effectively manage their symptoms and minimize episodes by taking antiepileptic medications daily.
Electrical and chemical signals are constantly flowing through the brain in a complex but highly organized way. When an absence seizure occurs, brain activity is momentarily suspended and an individual suddenly stops whatever they were doing, such as walking or talking. The hands, eyelids, lips may move or tremble awkwardly and the person usually cannot help but look straight ahead. Absence seizures rarely last more than 15 seconds, and most people don’t remember the episodes.
It is often difficult for doctors to pinpoint the exact causes of a person’s absence seizures. The disorder is more common in children and adolescents, possibly due to the fact that electrical activity in a growing brain is more chaotic as new pathways and connections are made. In fact, most people come out of their seizure disorders by the time they hit their 25s. Some studies suggest that this form of epilepsy can be inherited from one or both parents. Absence seizures can also arise due to drug abuse, alcohol withdrawal, head injury, or birth defects of the nervous system.
Medical attention is needed for a child or adult experiencing absence seizures. In a hospital, a patient is usually evaluated by a neurologist or epileptologist. Your doctor may do a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of your brain to check for physical abnormalities and an electroencephalogram (EEG) to monitor electrical activity. MRI and EEG results are used to determine the type and severity of the patient’s seizure disorder.
Doctors usually treat absence seizures by prescribing antiepileptic drugs. Many of the drugs used to treat epilepsy can have negative side effects, such as liver failure or depression. Patients typically are closely monitored for several weeks after starting a regimen of a particular drug. As a precaution, a patient who experiences frequent absence seizures can be instructed to avoid potentially dangerous activities, such as driving a car. Most people who take medications and receive regular checkups with neurologists are able to live normal, symptom-free lives.
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