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What Causes Absence Seizure?

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Posted on Fri, 25 Apr 2014
Question: My sister was chatting with my brother when his arm and hand started trembling and then he dropped his head as if he had dozed off for about 3 minutes and the started back chatting like nothing had happened . He was not aware he had even done it. What could cause this?
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Answered by Dr. Chobufo Ditah (2 hours later)
Brief Answer: Could be absence seizures/Hysteria Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query. I am so sorry to hear about what happened to your brother. This sounds like an absence seizure but the duration seems too long to fit the ideal definition of an absence seizure. In any case, this is a convulsive episode. Should they become repetitive, then it would be classified as a seizure. The best way to characterize a seizure is to obtain a detailed history from an eye witness and complete it with a test called EEG. This is a test that picks up waves in the brain and are analysed to tell what the origin and nature of the problem is. What you have described could be a deliberate action that he wants to mislead us to believing he had no idea. This is the case of hysteria. Monitoring over time would confirm if this is a repetitive process that needs further investigations with an EEg. In all, monitor to see if this ever occurs again. Should it occur, let him get consulted and evaluated by a neurologist. An EEG would be important in investigating this condition. Treatment would depend on the final diagnosis. I hope this helps and addresses your query fully. Feel free to request for more information and clarification if need be. Thanks for using our services. I wish him well. Dr. Ditah, MD.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Chobufo Ditah

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 6323 Questions

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What Causes Absence Seizure?

Brief Answer: Could be absence seizures/Hysteria Detailed Answer: Hi and thank you so much for this query. I am so sorry to hear about what happened to your brother. This sounds like an absence seizure but the duration seems too long to fit the ideal definition of an absence seizure. In any case, this is a convulsive episode. Should they become repetitive, then it would be classified as a seizure. The best way to characterize a seizure is to obtain a detailed history from an eye witness and complete it with a test called EEG. This is a test that picks up waves in the brain and are analysed to tell what the origin and nature of the problem is. What you have described could be a deliberate action that he wants to mislead us to believing he had no idea. This is the case of hysteria. Monitoring over time would confirm if this is a repetitive process that needs further investigations with an EEg. In all, monitor to see if this ever occurs again. Should it occur, let him get consulted and evaluated by a neurologist. An EEG would be important in investigating this condition. Treatment would depend on the final diagnosis. I hope this helps and addresses your query fully. Feel free to request for more information and clarification if need be. Thanks for using our services. I wish him well. Dr. Ditah, MD.