Symptoms of secondary epilepsy

There are many epilepsy patients in our lives. We all know that when epilepsy patients have an attack, their bodies will tremble constantly and they will foam at the mouth. Therefore, when an epileptic patient has an attack, they must not be left alone. If necessary, a towel should be placed in the mouth of the epileptic patient to prevent the patient from biting his tongue. So what are the symptoms of secondary epilepsy?

Causes of secondary epilepsy

There are many diseases that cause this type of epilepsy, which can be mainly divided into the following two categories: one is brain diseases, various brain diseases, such as cerebrovascular disease, craniocerebral injury, encephalitis, meningitis, hydrocephalus, brain abscess, inflammatory granuloma, intracranial tumor, brain parasites, craniocerebral trauma, demyelinating disease, abnormal brain development, sequelae of craniocerebral surgery, local brain scars, brain degenerative diseases, etc. can all cause epilepsy; the other is extracerebral diseases: such as: hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, asphyxia, shock, eclampsia, uremia, diabetes, cardiogenic convulsions, and metal and drug poisoning. Many central nervous system or systemic diseases can cause epilepsy. Common causes of secondary epilepsy are birth trauma, intracranial infection, abnormal cerebral circulation, etc., such as sequelae of encephalitis, high fever convulsions in children, etc., which can all cause epilepsy.

Examination of secondary epilepsy

A generalized tonic-clonic seizure (grand mal seizure):

Sudden loss of consciousness, followed by tonic and then clonic seizures. It is often accompanied by screaming, cyanosis, urinary incontinence, tongue biting, white or bloody foam at the mouth, and dilated pupils. After lasting for tens of seconds or minutes, the convulsion stops naturally and the patient enters a coma. After waking up, there is a short period of dizziness, irritability, and fatigue, and the patient cannot recall the entire process of the attack. If the seizure continues and the patient remains in a coma, it is called a grand mal seizure, which is often life-threatening.

Absence seizures (petit mal seizures):

Sudden interruption of mental activity, loss of consciousness, and may be accompanied by myoclonus or automatism. Each attack lasts from a few seconds to more than ten seconds. The electroencephalogram shows a spike-slow or sharp-slow wave complex 3 times per second.

Three simple partial seizures:

A tonic or clonic seizure in a certain part or one side of the limbs, or an attack of paresthesia, which lasts for a short time and the patient is conscious. If the seizure extends along the motor area to other limbs or the whole body, it may be accompanied by loss of consciousness, which is called a Jackson seizure. After the attack, the affected limb may be temporarily paralyzed, which is called Todd's palsy.

4. Complex partial seizures (psychomotor seizures):

Psychosomatic, psychomotor and mixed seizures. Most of them have varying degrees of impaired consciousness and obvious thinking, perception, emotion and psychomotor disorders. There may be manifestations of automatism such as fugue and sleepwalking. Sometimes, under the control of hallucinations and delusions, violent behaviors such as hurting others and self-injury may occur.

5. Autonomic seizures (diencephalic):

There may be headache type, abdominal pain type, limb pain type, syncope type or cardiovascular attack.

Epilepsy without a clear cause is primary epilepsy, and epilepsy caused by intracranial tumors, trauma, infection, parasitic diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, systemic metabolic diseases, etc. is secondary epilepsy.