Stroke Seizures: Are They Dangerous?
If you or your loved one has recently experienced a stroke, you are at an elevated risk of having a seizure. What’s the difference between a stroke and a seizure? And are seizures from strokes more dangerous than seizures that are not preceded by a stroke?
It’s known that experiencing a stroke can increase the risk of seizures, but many individuals often wonder, can a seizure cause a stroke? To understand the answers to these questions, it’s important to first understand the differences between a stroke and a seizure.
A stroke is caused by the disruption of blood circulation in your brain, which causes your brain to become injured and form scar tissue. This scar tissue can then impact the electrical activity in the brain, causing a seizure, which occurs when there is a large surge of electrical activity in your brain. While the effects of a seizure are generally short-lived or temporary, a stroke can cause more permanent or long-lasting effects on your cognition and control of your muscles.
Can Strokes Cause Seizures?
When it comes to the question of which condition causes the other, you no longer need to wonder, “can a seizure cause a stroke?” because seizures do not directly cause strokes to occur. As mentioned above, strokes are caused by the disruption of blood circulation in the brain, not by the increased electrical activity of a seizure.
Conversely, while having a stroke does not guarantee that you will have a seizure, it does increase your risk of developing a seizure disorder like epilepsy. The risk is highest in the first 30 days following the stroke, with approximately 5 percent of individuals experiencing a seizure following a stroke. However, if you do not experience a seizure within 30 days of your stroke, the risk of developing a seizure disorder like epilepsy is minimal.
Because strokes can have longer-lasting effects on the body, it’s important that you begin rehabilitation or treatment as soon as possible following a stroke. Rehabilitation communities like Fair Oaks Rehabilitation & Health Care Center can help you or your loved one get back on your feet sooner with individualized care for your post-stroke needs.
Examining the Differences Between Strokes and Seizures
It’s understandable that people get confused about the differences between a stroke and a seizure; stroke-like symptoms occur with seizures, and it can be difficult to tell them apart if you haven’t had much experience with either one. Common symptoms of both include headaches, tingling or feelings of numbness in the body, confusion or disorientation, an inability to speak or difficulty understanding what is being said, and a possible loss of consciousness with more severe strokes or seizures.
The main difference between the two, aside from their causes, is the onset and progression of each. Seizures tend to have three stages: a beginning, a middle (known as the ictal phase) and an end (known as the postictal phase). Symptoms move from the less serious indicators (an aura, feelings of dizziness or anxiety) to the more obvious signs of a seizure in the middle and end stages, including a loss of consciousness or body control, or even temporary paralysis.
In contrast, strokes do not occur in stages; they have a more rapid onset, with symptoms appearing suddenly and causing obvious symptoms like numbness or tingling, facial drooping, incoherent speech, disorientation, or trouble with coordination or bodily movements.
When it comes to recuperating from a seizure after stroke, elderly patients should be sure to have a support team in place to monitor seizure activity, as strokes are the most common cause of epilepsy in senior citizens. Rehabilitation centers like Fair Oaks help develop these support teams by integrating specialized physicians and therapists – in consultation with your primary care physician and loved ones – to offer you physical, occupational and speech therapy services.
Post-Stroke Recovery at Fair Oaks Rehabilitation
When it comes to post-stroke recovery, there’s nothing more important than having the right team in place to take care of you or your senior loved one. At Fair Oaks Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, our priority is helping you recover faster from a stroke and making sure we take every step possible to help you prevent post-stroke seizures.
Our Lotus Rehabilitation program provides high-quality conventional health care for treating stroke and other neurological conditions, with a holistic, therapeutic way of handling wellness across all services, allowing you to rest easy knowing you or your loved one is in the right hands.
Give us a call at 815-389-3911 or contact us today to schedule a time to visit and receive a personalized consultation. Our team is ready to answer your questions and to give you or your senior loved one the care you deserve.