Pathophysiology

Pathophysiology Study Guide

• Tonic seizures: These include muscle stiffness and falling to the ground. The most affected muscles include the back muscles, arm muscles, and legs muscles. • Atonic seizures: Also known as drop seizures, atonic seizures lead to a loss of control of muscles and the consequence includes a sudden fall or collapse on the ground. • Clonic seizures: These seizures mostly influence the neck, arms, and face and are characterized by jerking movements and repeated or rhythmic movements of the muscles. • Myoclonic seizures: The consequences of the seizure include brief and sudden jerking and twitching of the arms and legs. • Tonic clonic aeizures: Also known as grand mal seizures, tonic clonic seizures are termed as the most dramatic type of seizure. In this situation, the person may suffer from abrupt unconsciousness, stiffening of the body, shaking of the body, tongue biting, and loss of bladder control. Status Epilepticus Status epilepticus is a life-threatening neurological disorder in which the person suffers from a continuous seizure for a longer duration of time or from frequent recurrent seizures. These seizures often lead to permanent damage to the brain and can cause death. Causes of status epilepticus include stroke, hypoxic injury, tumor, subarachnoid hemorrhage, head trauma, cocaine use, isoniazid use, withdraw from alcohol, electrolyte abnormalities, neoplasms, meningitis, brain abscess, encephalitis, and use of sympathomimetic medications. Signs and symptoms of status epilepticus involve unilateral parenthesis or numbness, atypical rising sensations in the abdomen, visual changes, visual obscuration, colorful hallucinations, and gustatory hallucinations. Non-Epilepsy Non-epileptic seizures are characterized by the loss and alteration in the normal physical function without causing any problem in the central nervous system. These are mostly associated with mental health. These are known to occur suddenly and mostly appear at the time of extreme emotional stress. Signs and symptoms of non-epileptic seizures include impaired physical movements, tingling skin sensations, tunnel vision, the inability to coordinate, temporary blindness, and impaired sense of smell and touch. 6.3 Vascular Insult Cerebrovascular Accident Cerebrovascular accident is a life-threatening situation in which the brain function is impaired due to lack of enough oxygen. It is also known as a stroke, brain attack, and cerebral infarction. The consequences of cerebrovascular accident are serious, including permanent disability and may even lead to death. In this case, the blood carrying arteries within the brain get blocked, ruptured, or leak. The tissues that are deprived of oxygen and nutrient rich blood start to die within minutes.

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