When to Go to the ER for Seizures: Common Causes & Signs You Should Go to the ER
Seizures are one of those things that can happen suddenly and without warning, and can happen to anyone, although there are those that are more likely to suffer a seizure than others. They can be quite frightening to everyone involved, and can also be a sign of a number of medical conditions ranging from head injuries to seizure disorders and many others. Seizures can also be localized, that is affect only a particular part of the body, or may be widespread and affect the whole body. As is covered in detail over at frontlineer.com, a seizure is an abnormal, and uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain from the disorderly discharging of the brain’s nerve cells, leading to the temporary disturbance of the sensory, motor and mental functions of the brain. While seizures are commonly associated with people with seizure disorders such as epilepsy, healthy people can also suffer from seizures under certain circumstances. Children are also likely to suffer from febrile seizures, especially when they are ill such as instances where your child has an era infection, chickenpox among others. It is important to understand the common causes of seizures as well as the signs of each that mean one should go to the ER as soon as possible to be attended to and that is what this article will attempt to do.
As mentioned above, one of the most common causes of seizures are seizure disorders such as epilepsy. And while it has no cure, its symptoms can be managed and controlled through medication. There are a number of signs though that indicate you should take someone to the ER from seizures due to their epilepsy. These signs include a seizure that is persistent and has lasted for more than 5 minutes, if the person develops difficulties breathing during their seizure or stops breathing afterwards, if the person is presenting with persistent confusion or unconsciousness or if the person as sustained injures during their seizure episode. If it is a first seizure, then this is yet another sign one needs to head over to the ER as soon as possible to be assessed as is the case if one loses consciousness after an episode. Another common cause of seizures is due to chemical imbalances in the body, particularly low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia as it is referred to by experts such as those over at frontlineer.com. This is common with people with diabetes and if one is presenting with seizures due to hypoglycemia and is presenting with symptoms such as severe confusion as well as consciousness, then this is a sign that they need to be taken to the ER as soon as possible. Seizures in this case is usually a sign the brain has been deprived of adequate sugar and should be taken seriously.
Another common cause of seizures are febrile seizures in children which are usually as a result of infections and cases of high fever. As far as febrile seizures go, if the seizure didn’t last long and it lasted less than 2 minutes, there was no difficulty breathing and the seizure didn’t recur, then you can have your child assessed by your pediatrician. However, signs that you need to take your child to the ER for their seizure include instances of injury during the seizure episode, persistent seizures that last more than 2 minutes or don’t stop, referred to as status epilepticus, if it is a first seizure, if the seizure is accompanied by breathing difficulties, or if the child has a history of seizures and they are having a seizure episode that is different from what they usually have. This could be the seizure is lasting longer than normal, it is affecting a different part of the body among other concerns; all of which should be taken seriously. Another common cause of seizures are brain tumors and as far as they are concerned, signs that one should head over to the ER, such as the excellent frontlineer.com, include persistent and unexplained vomiting, unexplained double or blurry vision, especially if it is on one eye, as well as if one is suffering from a new seizure. If one has a known tumor and the start to present with seizures as well as the worsening of any of the known symptoms, then they should also head to the ER straight away.
Another common cause of seizures are brain injuries such as concussions. Here, if one is experiencing symptoms of moderate to severe concussion such as seizures, severe vomiting and nausea, severe headache, temporary memory loss especially of the event that lead to the concussion, among others, all of which are covered in detail over at frontlineer.com, then this is a sign that you need to go to the ER as soon as possible to be attended to. Seizures can also be caused by drug overdoses or drug interactions. Therefore, if one is experiencing seizures after having taken a new drug or if they overdosed on a drug, legal or illegal drugs, or if it is due to alcohol poisoning, then they should be taken to the ER as soon as possible.
The above are the common causes of seizures as well as the signs of each that indicate one should go to the ER, with frontlineer.com being the best option out there.
