Table of Contents
When can a seizure be fatal?
Seizures can be fatal, but dying from a seizure is uncommon . Epilepsy is a group of conditions in which people have seizures. However, a person without epilepsy can also have a seizure. Many seizure deaths come from external factors like drowning, falling, or choking that occur during a seizure.
How does a seizure become fatal?
A seizure may cause a person to have pauses in breathing (apnea). If these pauses last too long, they can reduce the oxygen in the blood to a life-threatening level. In addition, during a convulsive seizure a person’s airway sometimes may get covered or obstructed, leading to suffocation.
When does a seizure become a medical emergency?
Generally, a seizure should be considered an emergency in these situations: Seizures that do not stop within a few minutes. Prolonged confusion remains after the seizure (more than 10-15 minutes). The person is not responsive after a seizure.
Are seizures common before death?
The incidence of seizures in dying patients is unknown, and while likely uncommon, they can cause tremendous distress to patients and families.
When should I be concerned about a seizure?
Call 911 or seek emergency medical help for seizures if: A seizure lasts more than five minutes. Someone experiences a seizure for the first time. Person remains unconsciousness after a seizure ends.
Should someone go to the hospital after a seizure?
If you see someone who is having an epileptic seizure, you should call an ambulance or 911 if: The seizure lasts more than five minutes. Another seizure starts right after the first. The person can’t be awakened after the movements have stopped.
When should you go to the hospital after a seizure?
How dangerous are seizures?
Most seizures are not dangerous on their own. However, seizure-like activity can result in injury due to falls or can limit activities that the person is able to engage in (for example driving, swimming, climbing ladders, etc) in which a sudden loss of consciousness could be dangerous.
What are the dangers of seizures?
There are serious risks to having an unchecked seizure disorder. Seizures can cause car crashes when they strike someone who’s driving. They can cause people to fall and hit their head or suffer a serious injury, too. There are longer term dangers, too.
How serious are seizures?
Most seizures end on their own and don’t cause serious problems. During some seizures, people can injure themselves, develop other medical problems, or have a life-threatening emergency. The overall risk of dying for people with epilepsy is 1.6 to 3 times higher than for people without epilepsy.
What are the reasons for seizures?
There are many reasons a seizure can occur, including abnormalities in the level of sodium or glucose in the blood, a brain infection, brain injury or congenital brain defects, and drug abuse.