When people think of seizures, they picture the most severe cases called tonic-clonic, or grand mal seizures. While definitely the most dramatic type of seizure that usually involves a loss of consciousness and severe flailing of the extremities, it is not the only type of seizure there is. Seizure disorders come in different varieties. While some seizure disorders are passed down through the genetic code, many seizures are secondary to other conditions, some of which are preventable. People suffering from seizure disorders do to a traumatic accident or medical malpractice may seek compensation for damages from those responsible.
Epilepsy
The most common cause of seizures is known as epilepsy, which is a chronic condition where excessive neural electrical activity, originating in the brain causes physical symptoms. Some symptoms are mild and barely noticeable, often taken for “spacing out”, while others are the server tonic-clonic symptoms. The vast majority of seizure episodes are due to epilepsy, but not all of them.
There are two major classifications:
• Generalized seizures
• Continuous seizures
Generalized seizures are broken down into the following sub-categories:
• Absence seizures are an interruption of consciousness where the person just seems to be unresponsive for up to 30 seconds.
• Myoclonic seizures are very brief muscle contractions involving an extremity.
• Clonic seizures are regularly repeated myclonic seizures, occurring at around 2-3 per second.
• Tonic-clonic seizures a severe initial contraction, the tonic phase, associated with loss of consciousness, incontinence, and absence of breathing, followed by a series of muscle contractions.
This is the classic epileptic fit most people associate with the disorder.
• Atonic seizures is simply going limp, losing all muscle tone.
Continuous seizures are the most severe type also referred to as status epilepticus this may be a life threatening condition as there is no relaxation period.
Non-Epileptic Disorders
Seizures that do not originate in the brain due to excessive electrical-neural activities fall under non-epileptic disorders. The seizures themselves may present themselves in the same way, but they are secondary to other conditions. Some of the causes of non-epileptic disorders include:
• High fever
• Traumatic brain injury
• Underlying heart condition
• Medications
• Brain tumor
Injury Litigation
In many cases where the seizure disorder is secondary to an injury or illness, someone may be held liable for damages. Seizure disorder may be brought on by a traumatic brain injury brought on by a car accident. In those cases, the driver, or their insurance company may be sued to ensure adequate compensation for the ongoing treatments necessary, lost wages, and other damages because of the accident. Other areas of litigation that can be pursued by someone suffering from a sudden onset of seizure disorder include:
• Medical malpractice
• Work place injury
• Product liability
Families of babies suffering neurological damage due to a birth injury may also be able to sue the hospital and obstetrician responsible in order to obtain compensation for medical expenses and other damages.
To find our more about seizure disorder and birth injury in Orlando, please visit the Florida personal injury attorneys at Colling Gilbert Wright & Carter today.