What is the difference between petit mal and absence seizures?

An absence seizure is a generalized onset seizure, which means it begins in both sides of the brain at the same time. An older term is petit mal seizures. Absence seizures usually affect only a person’s awareness of what is going on at that time, with immediate recovery.

What does a dementia seizure look like?

Most epileptic seizures in people with dementia are known as focal onset seizures. These can involve brief periods of increased amnesia or unresponsiveness. We see involuntary repeating movements, often of the hands and arms, or of the face (chewing, lip-smacking or swallowing).

How can you tell if someone had a mild seizure?

General symptoms or warning signs of a seizure can include:

1. Staring.
2. Jerking movements of the arms and legs.
3. Stiffening of the body.
4. Loss of consciousness.
5. Breathing problems or stopping breathing.
6. Loss of bowel or bladder control.
7. Falling suddenly for no apparent reason, especially when associated with loss of consciousness.

What causes grand mal seizures in the elderly?

Seizures among older adults can be attributed to myriad conditions that affect the brain; the Epilepsy Foundation states that seizures are associated with physical changes in an elder’s brain caused by a stroke, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, or brain tumors.

Do grand mal seizures cause memory loss?

Grand mal seizures are marked by amnesia (memory loss), so that the person who has the seizure does not remember what happened. While the seizure itself generally does not cause permanent damage, it is possible for injury to result during the seizure.

Do absence seizures have auras?

Typical absence seizures have no auras or postictal confusion. Although amnestic for events during the seizure, patients may continue with activities that were temporarily interrupted by the seizure, often continuing where they left off mid-sentence.