Then suddenly you snap out of it and continue as you were before the seizure. You could be in the middle of making dinner, walking across the room, or typing an e-mail when you have the seizure. An absence seizure doesn’t typically cause you to fall down. People in the midst of having an absence seizure don’t speak, listen, or appear to understand. The easiest way to spot an absence seizure is to look for a blank stare that lasts for a few seconds. Many children outgrow absence seizures in their teens. Some children who have them also develop other seizures. They’re more common in children than in adults. Unexplained difficulties in school and learning difficulties may be the first sign of absence seizures.Ībsence seizures may occur alone or may coexist with other types of seizures in a child with other epileptic syndromes. Their failure to respond when they are spoken to often results in the young person being told off in school for not paying attention or for daydreaming. Although brief, these seizures can cause the young person to miss out on parts of their learning, but they will not know what they have missed. The young person may also not be aware that they have had a seizure. Recovery is immediate and the young person continues what they were doing so the seizure may go unnoticed. This type of seizure usually doesn’t lead to physical injury. Then, there is a quick return to a normal level of alertness. Someone having an absence seizure may look like he or she is staring blankly into space for a few seconds. However, the abrupt ending of typical absence seizures, without a postictcal phase, is the most useful clinical feature in distinguishing the two types. Typical absence seizures are often confused with complex partial seizures - especially in cases of prolonged seizure with automatisms.

An absence seizure is a generalized onset seizure, which means it begins in both sides of the brain at the same time 2. Absence seizure was previously known as ‘petit mal seizure’. Living with absence seizures What is an absence seizureĪbsence seizures also known as absence epilepsy, are characterized by sudden, brief (usually less than 15 seconds), frequent periods of lapses in awareness, which may be accompanied by automatic movements (simple automatisms or clonic, atonic, or autonomic components) 1.

Absence seizure eeg rat