What are seizures?

Also known as: convulsions, focal seizures, partial seizures, generalized seizures, epilepsy

A seizure is a sudden abnormal burst of electrical activity in one or more parts of the brain from a variety of causes, that interrupt the normal brain signals and result in a wide variety of symptoms depending on from where the electrical signals originate.

The main types of seizures are focal (partial seizures) or generalized. Both are quite common in infants and children. When a child has recurrent seizures for which no cause can be found it’s diagnosed as epilepsy.
 

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM