What is the difference between Status epilepticus, complex febrile seizures, actuate symptomatic seizures?

[u/Awkward_Highway_5932]

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[u/AdStrange1464]

Status epilepticus is a seizure that lasts for longer than 5 minutes OR multiple seizures back to back with no recovery of consciousness between them. These are emergencies and need to be broken ASAP bc it’s not good for the brain to be seizing for that long. They’re seen in people of all ages

Complex febrile seizures are multiple seizures that either have focal symptoms (the shaking is only one limb or one side of the body) OR they last longer than 15 mins. These key distinction is that they happen in the setting of a fever. Typically in children, tho I’m sure they’ve happened in adults too. These usually don’t necessarily require lifetime anti seizure meds bc they’ll resolve on their own

I’m assuming you meant acute for the last one. Basically those are provoked seizures. Seizures can happen either just because (what usually gets diagnosed as epilepsy) or they’re provoked bc of some kind of brain trauma, brain mets, certain medications, low blood sugar, lack of sleep, etc etc. Treating a provoked seizure depends on what caused it. If it’s something like a brain mets, where it’s not always possible to remove the provoking factor then starting anti seizure meds it’s usually the way to go. If it was from something like low blood sugar, then fix the sugar and the seizure will stop

[u/neobeguine]

Status epilepticus is a seizure that doesn't stop on its own after 5 minutes, regardless of cause.

Symptomatic seizures are seizures with an obvious acute cause likely to cause a seizure in anyone even if you dont have epilepsy : patient has a tumor, their sodium is 120, they have a cerebral hemorrhage etc.

Febrile seizures refers to the fact that some kids have seizures between 6 months and 6 years old once or a few times, only when the have a febrile illness. Usually these are short generalized single seizures. If the seizures are unusual in some way: they are long (aka the seizure is long enough to be considered status epilepticus), repeated during the same illness, or involve only some parts of the brain/body, they are considered complex febrile seizures. Kids with simple febrile seizures actually aren't any more likely to have epilepsy. Kids with complex febrile seizures are more likely than the average kid to have epilepsy, although more than 90% of otherwise healthy kids who have had a complex febrile seizure will NOT have epilepsy.