Patient's question:
What are the factors or causes of recurrent epilepsy? What are the early symptoms of childhood epilepsy?Doctor's answer:
Hello: Epilepsy originates in the brain and is a brief, recurrent disease caused by abnormal discharges of brain neurons. Its characteristic symptoms include irregular sudden recurrences, foaming at the mouth, convulsions of the limbs, and sudden falls to the ground. It can resolve on its own, accompanied by brief loss of consciousness. The common forms of epilepsy recurrence include:(1) Major Recurrence (Generalized Tonic-Clonic Recurrence): Characterized by loss of consciousness and generalized convulsions. The patient suddenly becomes drowsy, cries out, falls to the ground, often sustaining injuries, with eyes rolling upward or staring blankly. This is followed by rhythmic convulsions of the entire body, (biting), bleeding from the tongue or lips, foaming at the mouth, and possible incontinence of urine and feces. The convulsions last from one to several minutes and then subside, after which the patient may fall into a coma or become agitated. Some regain consciousness immediately, while others may take several hours to fully recover. They have no memory of the episode. If major recurrences occur consecutively without regaining consciousness, it is called status epilepticus, which requires immediate rescue, as failure to do so can lead to exhaustion and death.
(2) Minor Recurrence (Absence Recurrence): Clinically: During recurrence, there is a brief loss of consciousness, with the sudden interruption of ongoing activities. The patient may stare blankly, pause speech or movement, stand or sit motionless, appear pale and expressionless, drop objects from their hands, and be unresponsive to calls. They do not fall, but may exhibit involuntary actions such as chewing, lighting a fire, or fiddling with clothing buttons, as well as tremors of the face, lips, tongue, or one limb. These episodes last from a few seconds to several dozen seconds, not exceeding one minute, and the patient resumes the activity they were doing before the recurrence. Recurrences are frequent, occurring dozens of times a day, and are more common in children. Although less severe than major recurrences, they should still be treated actively.
(3) Psychomotor Recurrence (Complex Partial Recurrence): A clinical type of epilepsy recurrence characterized by brief confusion or mental disturbance, leading to purposeless movements or disorganized behavior, or even harming others, destroying property, or wandering away. The recurrence can last from hours to days, and the patient has no memory afterward. Between episodes, their mental state is normal. This type is often caused by lesions in the temporal lobe of the brain and is also called temporal lobe epilepsy.
(4) Focal Recurrence (Simple Recurrence): Characterized by rhythmic convulsions in a specific part of the body, lasting for several seconds. Consciousness is usually not lost, but if not detected or treated promptly, it can develop into major recurrences.