A seizure is a sudden abnormal electrical activity in your brain. Seizures range in severity and can last between 30 seconds and two minutes. There are two major types of seizures: focal onset and generalized onset.

Focal onset seizures occur in one part of your brain. Generalized onset seizures, on the other hand, affect both sides of your brain at the same time. There are several subclassifications of generalized onset seizures:

• Tonic-clonic seizures – grand-mal seizures that cause muscle stiffening and convulsions
• Absence seizures – short petit-mal seizures that cause you to stare into space or blink repeatedly
• Atonic seizures – also called drop attacks because your muscles go limp

Seizures are disorienting and frightening. If you have had a seizure, contact Dr. Kar at the Neurology Institute of Huntsville for expert treatment.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that causes recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy might be due to a brain injury, or it could be genetic. You typically have several types of seizures and other neurological problems.

Seizures cause a wide variety of symptoms, including:

• Lost consciousness
• Confusion
• Muscle spasm
• Drooling
• Losing your balance or falling
• Clenching your teeth or biting your tongue
• Sudden, rapid eye movements
• Strange taste in your mouth
• Making unusual noises
• Lost control of bladder or bowel
• Sudden mood changes

You might also have warning signs before a seizure happens, such as nausea, dizziness, vision changes, jerky arm and leg movements, and headaches.

Dr. Kar begins with a comprehensive exam, including an electroencephalogram (EEG), to confirm that seizures are the root cause of your symptoms. He uses blood tests to check for other issues that can cause similar symptoms.

If Dr. Kar diagnoses you with a seizure disorder, he creates a treatment plan to reduce your risk of having more seizures in the future. He might prescribe medication or nerve stimulation. He might also recommend dietary or lifestyle changes.

In severe cases, Dr. Kar might recommend surgery to correct brain abnormalities that contribute to your seizures.

Call the Neurology Institute of Huntsville, or make an appointment online today, if you’re concerned about seizures.