Indicators and Causes of Grand Mal Seizures

Grand mal seizures are also known as generalised tonic-clonic seizures. A grand mal seizure is caused due to excessive electrical discharge in the brain. Grand mal seizures may occur only once or several times. A person is said to be suffering from grand mal epilepsy if the incidence of grand mal seizure occurs two or more times. Many people with grand mal epilepsy need a daily dose of anti-epileptic medication to control their disease. This article explores the symptoms of the disease, the causal factors and teaches you how to recognise a grand mal seizure.

Symptoms of grand mal seizures

To recognise the grand mal seizures, one should know the symptoms associated with grand mal epilepsy. The grand mal seizure usually begins with a sense of aura or hallucination. The patient may report of dizziness or unusual smell, feelings, or tastes.

Thereafter, the patient may suffer from loss of consciousness, muscle contraction (tonic) followed by rhythmic spasms of muscles (clonic). The duration of the grand mal seizures lasts in the range of several minutes. In the tonic phase of the seizure, the patient may bite one’s tongue or pass urine due to bladder incontinence.

Seriousness of a seizure

Grand mal seizures can be life-threatening and so, the patient should be immediately rushed to the hospital. When the patient recovers from a grand mal seizure, he or she generally reports of weakness, exhaustion, and a sense of dementia. The patient will not remember the epileptic seizure episode.

Factors triggering the grand mal seizures

Electrical activity – a negative impact on the brain

Grand mal seizures occur as a result of excessive electrical activity that impacts the neuronal activity in the brain. In people suffering from grand mal epilepsy, the neuronal activity is hampered and the communication in the brain cells is hampered with this abnormal electrical activity. In most cases, the cause of grand mal epilepsy is not known.

Brain injury or infectious conditions

Nevertheless, the person may suffer from a grand mal seizure when there is a traumatic brain injury or occurrence of a brain tumour, or brain infections such as encephalitis or meningitis.

Other causal factors

Drugs and alcohol can also trigger a grand mal seizure in a person. Strokes or low levels of glucose, calcium, sodium, or magnesium can also cause a grand mal seizure. Some genetic syndromes or lack of oxygen to the brain may also trigger the grand mal seizures in a patient.

Grand Mal Seizures Guidance & Strategies

The most effective and best way you can actually help yourself be prepared and deal with grand mal seizures is simply by studying and understanding a lot more about them. So take a look at more articles on our grand mal seizures website.