Usually the seizure lasts but a few seconds or minutes. Occasionally loss of muscle tone may produce falling, although the patient appears to be alert and conscious. This may result in muscle contraction seizures limited to one part of the body, e.g. the arm, or in sometimes bizarre symptoms such as perception of unusual odors, strange repetitive movements such as lip-smacking, or even unusual behavior patterns of an inappropriate nature. Awareness and consciousness during partial seizures may be either normal or impaired. A slight family tendency is noted, but this is inconsistent.
High fevers can cause seizures especially in children.
Whether treatment with anti- seizure medications is warranted is controversial, and depends on a variety of medical and philosophical factors. Many diverse brain injuries can result in seizure disorders by injuring the nerves of the brain, rendering them unstable. If the onset of seizures is in adulthood, a CAT scan x-ray of the brain may be considered, since the likelihood of finding some anatomic abnormality such as tumors or areas of stroke is much greater than in childhood. Ordinarily the above tests are adequate for diagnosis, assuming other general screening blood tests are normal. Any detected abnormalities may require more extensive evaluation.