Approximately 1 in 26 people develop epilepsy, a condition in which someone experiences recurring and unprovoked seizures. But experiencing a seizure does not always mean a person has epilepsy. Seizures can be provoked by acute head injuries, alcohol withdrawal and high blood sugar, among other things. Approximately 1 in 10 people will experience a seizure during their lifetime.
The Conversation asked Dr. Jacob Pellinen, a neurologist specializing in epilepsy, to walk us through how to recognize a seizure in a bystander or loved one, and what to do in those crucial moments after a seizure begins.
What Does A Seizure Look Like?
It varies. For some people, their seizure is a purely internal sensation. To an untrained observer, it may appear as though nothing’s wrong. In fact, most people with epilepsy have only relatively subtle, nonconvulsive seizures at first, then develop convulsive seizures over time.
But others having seizures experience full body convulsions with a loss of consciousness. This is the type of seizure most of us are familiar with, probably because it’s the kind most frequently depicted, though not always accurately, in movies and on television. It’s also the most dangerous type of seizure.
