neurologic disorders
Seizure Disorders
Definitions
Terminology related to seizures can be confusing. Epilepsy(also called epileptic seizure disorder) is a chronic brain disorder characterized by recurrent (≥2) seizures that are unprovoked (ie, not related to reversible stressors) and that occur > 24 hours apart. A single seizure is not considered an epileptic seizure. Epilepsy is often idiopathic, but various brain disorders, such as malformations, strokes, and tumors, can cause symptomatic epilepsy. is epilepsy due to a known cause (eg, Overview of Intracranial Tumors , Cryptogenic epilepsyis epilepsy assumed to be due to a specific cause, but whose specific cause is currently unknown. are provoked by a temporary disorder or stressor (eg, metabolic disorders, central nervous system (CNS) infections, cardiovascular disorders, medication toxicity or withdrawal, psychogenic disorders). In children, fever can provoke a seizure ( Febrile Seizures ). Psychogenic nonepileptic seizures(pseudoseizures) are symptoms that simulate seizures in patients with psychiatric disorders but that do not involve an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain. 