Patient's question:
I have epilepsy, so sometimes my muscles will suddenly twitch. But when I went for a check-up yesterday, I found that the people around me didn't have any of those symptoms. Instead, they experienced abdominal pain and dizziness, but not the kind of muscle twitching I have.Doctor's answer:
1. Generalized tonic-clonic seizure (grand mal seizure): Sudden loss of consciousness followed by tonic and clonic spasms. Often accompanied by screaming, cyanosis, incontinence, bitten tongue, foaming at the mouth with saliva or blood, and dilated pupils. The spasms last for several seconds or minutes before subsiding naturally, leading to a state of drowsiness. After waking, there may be a brief period of dizziness, irritability, and fatigue, with no memory of the episode. If the seizure persists continuously, resulting in continuous coma, it is referred to as a status epilepticus, which is often life-threatening.2. Absence seizure (petit mal seizure): Sudden interruption of mental activity, loss of consciousness, and may be accompanied by myoclonus or automatisms. Each episode lasts from a few seconds to more than ten seconds. An electroencephalogram (EEG) shows 3 Hz spike-and-wave or sharp-and-slow wave complexes.
3. Simple partial seizure: Tonic or clonic recurrence in a localized part or one limb, or recurrence of sensory abnormalities, lasting briefly with clear consciousness.