Convulsion

Epilepsy is a neuronal disorder with multifactorial manifestations.[8] It is a noncontagious illness and is usually associated with sudden attacks.[7] Sudden attacks of seizures are an immediate and initial anomaly in the electrical activity of the brain that disrupts the part or whole body.[8] Various areas of the brain can be disturbed by epileptic events.[9] Epileptic seizures can have contrary clinical features.[8] Epileptic seizures can have long-lasting effects on cerebral blood flow (CBF) regulation damage.[10]

The most common type of seizure is called a generalized seizure, also known as a generalized convulsion. This is characterized by a loss of consciousness which may lead to the person collapsing. The body stiffens for about a minute and then jerks uncontrollably for the next minute. During this, the patient may fall and injure themselves or bite their tongue and lose control of their bladder. A familial history of seizures puts a person at a greater risk for developing them.[11][12] Generalized seizures have been broadly classified into two categories: motor and non-motor. [8]

A generalized tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS), is also known as a grand mal seizure.[13][14] It is described as a seizure that has a tonic phase followed by clonic muscle retrenchments.[13] A generalized tonic-clonic seizure is a type of seizure that includes the whole body.[14] Generalized tonic-clonic seizures can happen in people of all ages.[14] (GTCSs) are very hazardous, and they increase the risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) and injuries also.[15] SUDEP is a sudden, unexpected, nontraumatic death in patients with epilepsy.[15] Strong convulsions that are related to GTCSs can also cause falls and severe injuries.[15]

A common cause of convulsions in children is febrile seizures. In Nigeria, malaria, which can cause sudden, high fevers, is a significant cause of convulsions among children under 5 years of age.[16]

Febrile seizures fall into two categories: simple and complex.[17] A complex febrile seizure can be the one with the focal onset and occurs more than once during a febrile illness, it lasts for more than 10 to 15 minutes.[17] A simple febrile seizure is one that is isolated, brief, and generalized.[17] Febrile affects between 2 and 4% of children in the United States and Western Europe, it is the most common childhood seizure.[17] The exact reason for febrile convulsion is unidentified, it might be the outcome of the interchange between environmental and genetic factors.[18] The reason for the fever in febrile convulsion is extra-cranial, and high temperature related to it is a usual functional response to infection.21) [18]

Non-epileptic seizures are described by the physicians as "Psychogenic illnesses" which occur not due to the electrical disturbances in a person's brain but due to mental and emotional stress.[2] Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) are described as neurobehavioral conditions.[19] PNES is an important differential diagnosis and a common occurrence in epilepsy centers.[20] According to the 5th Edison of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) PNES is classified as a conversion disorder or Functional Neurologic Symptom Disorder characterized by alterations in behavior, motor activity, consciousness, and, sensation.[21] Few neuroimaging (functional and structural) studies suggest that PNES may replicate sensorimotor alterations, emotional regulation, cognitive control, and integration of neural circuits.[22]

Convulsions are the result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The specific cause is often not clear. Convulsions can be caused by specific chemicals in the blood, as well as infections like meningitis or encephalitis. Other possibilities include celiac disease,[23] head trauma, stroke or lack of oxygen to the brain. Sometimes the convulsion can be caused by genetic defects or brain tumors.[1] Convulsions can also occur when the blood sugar is too low and deficiency of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine).The Pathophysiology of convulsion remains ambiguous.[5]

There is a linkage between infantile convulsion as well as paroxysmal dyskinesia.[24] Paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) is characterized by sudden involuntary movement caused by sudden stress or excitement.[25] The relationship between convulsion and PKD is mainly due to the common mechanism of pathophysiology.[24]