Understanding the Different Types of Seizures and Their Causes

Seizures can be scary, especially when your child is involved. It’s important for you as a parent to know the facts about seizures, including the different types, and what causes them. Dr. John Millichap at Precision Epilepsy in Chicago, IL, is a pediatric neurologist and epileptologist who offers convenient telehealth appointments and consultations to treat a wide range of epilepsy conditions, including seizures.

What You Need To Know About Seizures

Let’s look at the most common pediatric seizures and what causes them:

Focal seizures, which involve abnormal electrical function in one or more areas on one side of the brain. Common signs of this type of seizure include your child experiencing:

  • An aura, or signal that a seizure is going to happen
  • Changes in vision, hearing, or smell

Generalized seizures, which involve both sides of the brain. Generalized seizures include petit mal or absence seizures, atonic seizures, tonic-clonic seizures, and myoclonic seizures. Common signs of this type of seizure include:

  • Brief loss of consciousness
  • Staring or eye blinking
  • Facial or mouth twitching
  • Loss of muscle tone
  • Sudden dropping of the head
  • Flexing of the arms and legs
  • Tremors
  • Contraction and relaxation of muscles
  • Headache and bodyaches

Febrile seizures, which result from a high fever caused by an infection

Seizures can be caused by a few factors, including:

  • Epilepsy
  • A brain chemical imbalance
  • A brain tumor
  • Brain damage due to an illness or injury

Our pediatric neurologist may recommend imaging and testing including an EEG, blood tests, MRI, PET and CT scans to aid in diagnosis of type and location of the seizure. Seizure treatment involves the use of anti-seizure medications and nerve stimulation. In severe cases, surgery may be indicated.

Want To Know More?

To find out more about types of seizures and how your pediatric neurologist and epileptologist can help, call Dr. John Millichap at Precision Epilepsy, in Chicago, IL, offering telehealth services across several states. You can reach him by calling (833) 530-3034, so call today. Visit our website to see which states are currently served.

Seizures can be scary, especially when your child is involved. It’s important for you as a parent to know the facts about seizures, including the different types, and what causes them. Dr. John Millichap at Precision Epilepsy in Chicago, IL, is a pediatric neurologist and epileptologist who offers convenient telehealth appointments and consultations to treat a wide range of epilepsy conditions, including seizures.

What You Need To Know About Seizures

Let’s look at the most common pediatric seizures and what causes them:

Focal seizures, which involve abnormal electrical function in one or more areas on one side of the brain. Common signs of this type of seizure include your child experiencing:

  • An aura, or signal that a seizure is going to happen
  • Changes in vision, hearing, or smell

Generalized seizures, which involve both sides of the brain. Generalized seizures include petit mal or absence seizures, atonic seizures, tonic-clonic seizures, and myoclonic seizures. Common signs of this type of seizure include:

  • Brief loss of consciousness
  • Staring or eye blinking
  • Facial or mouth twitching
  • Loss of muscle tone
  • Sudden dropping of the head
  • Flexing of the arms and legs
  • Tremors
  • Contraction and relaxation of muscles
  • Headache and bodyaches

Febrile seizures, which result from a high fever caused by an infection

Seizures can be caused by a few factors, including:

  • Epilepsy
  • A brain chemical imbalance
  • A brain tumor
  • Brain damage due to an illness or injury

Our pediatric neurologist may recommend imaging and testing including an EEG, blood tests, MRI, PET and CT scans to aid in diagnosis of type and location of the seizure. Seizure treatment involves the use of anti-seizure medications and nerve stimulation. In severe cases, surgery may be indicated.

Want To Know More?

To find out more about types of seizures and how your pediatric neurologist and epileptologist can help, call Dr. John Millichap at Precision Epilepsy, in Chicago, IL, offering telehealth services across several states. You can reach him by calling (833) 530-3034, so call today. Visit our website to see which states are currently served.