Convulsione

Convulsione, or convulsions, are sudden, involuntary contractions of muscles caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. They are a symptom rather than a disease and can occur in a variety of conditions. The most common causes include epilepsy, fever in children, metabolic disturbances such as abnormal glucose or electrolyte levels, infections affecting the brain, head injury, stroke, toxins, or withdrawal from alcohol or drugs.

There are several types of convulsions. Generalized convulsions involve loss of consciousness and widespread body movements (tonic-clonic). Focal (partial) convulsions affect one body area and may or may not involve awareness. Other forms include absence seizures, with brief lapses of awareness, myoclonic seizures, which are quick muscle jerks, and atonic seizures, with sudden loss of muscle tone.

Symptoms during a convulsion can include stiff muscles, rhythmic jerking, temporary inability to respond or recall the event, tongue biting, and loss of bladder or bowel control. Afterward, a person may be confused or fatigued for minutes to hours (the postictal state). Febrile convulsions occur in young children with fever and are usually brief and harmless.

Diagnosis involves a medical history, description of the event, and physical examination. Further evaluation may include blood tests, imaging, and electroencephalography (EEG) if seizures recur or brain disease is suspected. Emergency evaluation is needed for a first seizure in adults, seizures lasting longer than five minutes, or when a seizure is followed by trouble breathing or poor response.

Management focuses on safety during a seizure, with measures such as protecting the person from injury and not placing objects in the mouth. Corticosteroidal or antiseizure medications may be prescribed for certain conditions. Prognosis varies with cause; many febrile seizures in children have a good outcome, while epilepsy requires ongoing management and follow-up.