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Here's a typical story: "Harold's spells begin with a warning; he says he's going to have a seizure and usually sits down. If I ask him how he feels, he just says 'I feel it.' Then he makes a funny face, a mixture of surprise and distress. During the seizure he may look at me when I call his name but he never answers. He just stares and makes odd mouth movements, as if he's tasting something. Sometimes he'll grab the arm of the chair and squeeze it. He may also pull at his shirt as though he's picking lint off of it. After a few minutes, when he's coming out of it, he asks a lot of questions. He never remembers his 'warning' or these questions. The seizures make him tired; if he has two in the same day, he often goes to sleep after the second one."
And another story: "Susan's seizures usually occur while she's asleep. She makes a grunting sound, as if she's clearing her throat. Then she'll sit up in bed, open her eyes, and stare. She may clasp her hands together. If I ask her what she's doing, she doesn't answer. After a minute or so, she lies down and goes back to sleep."
They usually last between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Afterward, the person may be tired or confused for about 15 minutes and may not be fully normal for hours.
These seizures usually start in a small area of the temporal lobe or frontal lobe of the brain. They quickly involve other areas of the brain that affect alertness and awareness. So even though the person's eyes are open and they may make movements that seem to have a purpose, in reality "nobody's home." If the symptoms are subtle, other people may think the person is just daydreaming.
Some people can have seizures of this kind without realizing that anything has happened. Because the seizure can wipe out memories of events just before or after it, however, memory lapses can be a problem.
Some of these seizures (usually ones beginning in the temporal lobe) start with a simple partial seizure. Also called an aura, this warning seizure often includes an odd feeling in the stomach. Then the person loses awareness and stares blankly. Most people move their mouth, pick at the air or their clothing, or perform other purposeless actions. These movements are called "automatisms" (aw-TOM-ah-TIZ-ums). Less often, people may repeat words or phrases, laugh, scream, or cry. Some people do things during these seizures that can be dangerous or embarrassing, such as walking into traffic or taking their clothes off. These people need to take precautions in advance.
Complex partial seizures starting in the frontal lobe tend to be shorter than the ones from the temporal lobe. The seizures that start in the frontal lobe are also more likely to include automatisms like bicycling movements of the legs or pelvic thrusting.
Some complex partial seizures turn into secondarily generalized seizures.
Anybody can get them. They may be more likely in people who have had a head injury, brain infection, stroke, or brain tumor but most of the time the cause is unknown.
As for many other kinds of seizures, the outlook depends on whether the cause is known. They may be outgrown or controlled with medication. If medication is not effective, some can be eliminated by epilepsy surgery.
Complex partial seizures sometimes resemble daydreaming or absence seizures :
Questions to Ask |
Daydreaming |
Seizures |
| How frequent are the episodes? | Not frequent. |
Complex partial: Rarely more than several times per day or week. Absence: Could be many times per day. |
| In what situations do they occur? | Boring situation. | Any time, including during physical activity. |
| Do they begin abruptly? | No. | Usually yes. Some complex partial seizures begin slowly with a warning. |
| Can they be interrupted? | Yes. | No. |
| How long do they last? | Until something interesting happens. |
Complex partial: Up to several minutes. Absence: Rarely more than 15-20 seconds. |
| Does the person do anything during the episode? | Probably just stares. |
Complex partial: Automatisms are common. Absence: Just stares. |
| What is the person like immediately after the episode? | Alert. |
Complex partial: Confused. Absence: Alert. |
Careful observation should make the diagnosis pretty certain in most cases.
Topic Editor: Orrin Devinsky, M.D.
Last Reviewed:2/11/04
This content is user-generated. Content is not monitored nor consistently reviewed by the epilepsy.com Editorial Board. Epilepsy.com therefore cannot guarantee the accuracy of any content edited with the Wiki sections. While epilepsy.com, the Epilepsy Therapy Project, and its partners encourage visitor interaction and publishing within these sections, users should use caution when exploring content, especially as it pertains to health concerns. No content on epilepsy.com is intended to replace the care of a doctor. We encourage you to contact your own health care provider for individual medical advice. We cannot provide second opinions or make specific recommendations regarding therapy, nor does this Wiki content constitute a recommendation for any diagnosis or treatment options.
Complex
Partial Seizures :These seizures usually start in a small area of the
temporal lobe or frontal lobe of the brain. They quickly involve other areas of
the brain that affect alertness and awareness...
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