Seizure

A seizure is a sudden disruption of normal brain activity caused by excessive, synchronized firing of neurons, producing a temporary change in movement, sensation, behavior, awareness, or consciousness depending on which brain regions are involved. Most seizures last less than two minutes and are followed by a postictal period of confusion or fatigue, though one lasting more than five minutes, or repeated seizures without recovery between them, is a medical emergency called status epilepticus. Seizures are described as provoked, triggered by an identifiable cause such as fever, low blood sugar, alcohol withdrawal, or head trauma, or unprovoked, with no immediate trigger found; recurrent unprovoked seizures define the separate condition epilepsy. The condition affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide, and about one person in ten will have at least one seizure in their lifetime.