Nursery World - Types of epilepsy

Six out of 10 forms of epilepsy are unexplained. Others are linked to syndromes, or occasionally to illness or accident - although specialists agree that these usually trigger a tendency to epilepsy, rather than cause it. There are more than 40 types of seizure, ranging from seizures which can go unnoticed through to the tonic-clonic seizure - the one that most people think of when they hear the word 'epilepsy'. Two main different types of seizure are 'partial' and 'generalised'. Partial seizures involve part of the brain, while generalised seizures involve the whole brain. Partial seizures can become generalised seizures if the epileptic activity spreads to the whole brain.

Two main different types of seizure are 'partial' and 'generalised'. Partial seizures involve part of the brain, while generalised seizures involve the whole brain. Partial seizures can become generalised seizures if the epileptic activity spreads to the whole brain.

The following are a list of some of the generalised seizures.

* Tonic-clonic convulsive seizure (previously called 'grand mal' seizure). The child becomes rigid, and may fall over. The muscles then relax and tighten rhythmically causing convulsions. Breathing is laboured and they may be incontinent.

* Tonic, in which the muscles stiffen without rhythmical jerking. The child may fall to the ground.

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