What Are the Possibilities of Developing a Seizure Disorder Following a Brain Injury?

Seizures may occur immediately after an injury or they may not show up until months or years later. Eighty percent of seizures occur within the twenty-four month period after an injury. In general, the greater the injury, the higher the risk of developing seizures will be. In some cases brain injury survivors may develop epilepsy.

Many problems can result with seizures such as injuries caused when falling, a risk of choking or injuries sustained if an individual suffers a seizure while driving a motor vehicle and has an accident. In some cases individuals experience warning signs prior to a seizure such as a tingling sensation, a change in lights or an odor. However, in many cases there are no warning signals. Following a seizure there is usually a feeling of extreme fatigue.

In one situation that I know of the survivor didn't have any evidence of seizures until about fifteen years post-injury. His injuries at the time were quite severe. Initially the seizures were mild and were not diagnosed immediately. They gradually became Tonic-Clonic seizures and now more than ten years after the onset he is unable to drive as medication has not yet stabilized their impact.

In another situation, the individual suffered a concussion when she was sixteen years old. It wasn't until she was thirty-five years old before she experienced her first complex partial seizure. She didn't have another one for several years and only periodically after that. It wasn't until she was in her late fifties that the episodes became consistent and often and she was eventually diagnosed as having seizures. In this case, the seizures are completely controlled with medication. My partner at three and a half years post-injury has had no indication of being likely to experience a seizure disorder. This is fortunate because his injury was serious and he's also in the higher-risk group because he is a drinker.

There are many different kinds of seizures. The Partial Seizure disorder is subtle causing perception changes, visual abnormalities, hearing distortions and unusual sensations. Alteration of memory or consciousness is not associated with this type of seizure.

The Complex Partial Seizure is preceded by an aura. The individual may appear to be dazed or confused and then it passes. This is the most common type of seizure.

Generalized Seizures usually involve a loss of consciousness but may not be convulsive. The Generalized Absence Seizure will usually accompany a complete loss of awareness where the individual may stare into space and appear to be dazed. It will not be preceded by a warning and may go unnoticed by others because it is usully followed by normal activity. It is similar to the Complex Partial Seizure but quicker in duration. It is more common in children.

The Tonic-Clonic Seizure has a convulsion phase with muscle stiffening; the person may lose consciousness and the body will become rigid possibly jerking and twitching in the second phase. After consciousness returns the person will be confused and disoriented. It is not one of the most common types of seizures although it is the type that one thinks of when thinking of seizures.

Status Epilepticus is the most serious of the various kinds of seizures. It is potentially life-threatening and can lead to brain damage. This type of seizure can last longer than thirty minutes or will be a recurrent seizure without regaining consciousness. An ambulance should be called for seizures that last longer than five minutes. Treatment must be initiated quickly. This is the least common of all the various types of seizures.

The good news is that although some survivors of a brain injury will possibly get seizures, the majority will not develop this disorder. However, if they do, most can be easily controlled with medication.