With the advancement of science and technology, the world has benefitted immensely since the mortality rate too has reduced, thanks to the discoveries in the field of medical science. However, this doesn’t indicate that the human body is still free from ailments. There are certain ailments, the causes of which aren’t clear, yet the occurrence of the same can cause great discomfort to the person. One such disorder that hinders an individual’s attempt to lead a normal life is seizures.

Seizures are caused when there is some abnormal electrical activity in the brain. This disrupts the normal functioning of the brain. Though the seizure lasts for around a minute, it causes great discomfort while it lasts. Seizures are two types- focal seizures and generalized seizures, and the symptoms of seizures depend on the kind of seizure the person experiences.

Focal seizures

Focal seizures affect only a part of the brain and a majority of people who suffer from epilepsy show symptoms of a focal seizure. Focal seizures are further divided into two categories, and the symptoms of seizures that surface depend upon the type of focal seizure one experiences.

Simple focal seizures – You can conclude that the symptoms of seizures are that of simple focal seizure when the person experiencing the seizure doesn’t lose his consciousness. Some of the common symptoms of this kind of seizure are as follows-
One would experience a strange feeling and the sensation that the person experiences would be entirely surreal.
The person would start experiencing a strange smell or taste that is completely absent.
The person would experience a rising sensation in his stomach. This feeling is similar to the feeling one experiences when they are on a roller-coaster ride.
The individual would experience a sense of déjà vu.
The person would show symptoms of seizures like tingling in the arms and legs, or suddenly the body would go rigid, or he would start twitching.
Mostly symptoms of focal seizures are known as auras since they are a warning that a major seizure is on its way.

Complex focal seizures – If while experiencing the symptoms of a seizure, the person loses his consciousness and has no memory of it, one can conclude that the seizure that surfaced was a complex focal seizure. The symptoms of complex focal seizure are as follows-
The person may start smacking his lips, rubbing hands vigorously and can make random movements with their arms.
The individual might start making random noises or might start laughing suddenly. At times, the might also adopt unusual body postures.
The individual depicting symptoms of seizure might start gagging or chewing even in the absence of food.

Generalized Seizures

Generalized seizures surface when the nerve cells on both the sides of the brain misfire. There are six kinds of generalized seizures each depicting different symptoms. They are as follows-

Tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures – In this kind of generalized seizure, the following symptoms of seizures surface.
There’s a tensing of muscles in the arms, legs, and trunk.
The body stiffens or starts jerking.
One of the serious symptoms of this kind of seizure is that the person might lose bladder control.
At times, due to the severity of the seizure, the person might experience difficulties breathing, or might end up biting his tongue.

Clonic seizure- The person experiencing this kind of seizure would show the following symptoms of a seizure.
The individual might experience muscle spasms.
The body might start twitching, and this is known as myoclonic jerks. This causes the face, neck and arm muscles jerk rhythmically.

Tonic seizures- Tonic seizures are more prominent in individuals suffering from a particular kind of epilepsy known as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Under such circumstances, the individual would show the following symptoms of seizures.
This kind of seizure might last for more than 2 minutes, and the person might end up falling asleep.
The muscles in the arms, legs, and trunk would tense up.
If the person is standing when the seizure takes over, he might lose balance and fall.

Atonic seizures- The symptoms of this kind of seizures are as follows.
During the seizure, the muscles in the body can go entirely limp. There are high chances that the individual would lose the entire muscle function until the time the seizure lasts.
People suffering from Dravet syndrome show the symptoms of this kind of seizure.

Myoclonic seizures- Myoclonic seizure symptoms are as follows-
The muscles in the upper body would go stiff as if it received an electric shock.
The individual’s body might start twitching or jerking.

Absence (petit mal) seizures- The symptoms of seizure are as follows-
The person might feel entirely disconnected from the surrounding.
His eyes might roll back into the head.
The person may stare blankly into space.

Now that you are aware of the different kinds of seizures and the symptoms of seizures seek the right medical help when these symptoms start surfacing.