Post Traumatic Epilepsy: A common condition following head injury
Welcome to the traumatic epilepsy and traumatic seizure disorder page of our brain injury law firm.® The brain injury attorneys at De Caro & Kaplen, LLP are dedicated to protecting the legal rights of victims of epilepsy and seizure disorder caused by trauma.
Epilepsy and seizure disorders are frequent caused by the silent epidemic of traumatic brain injury. Yet, there is not much attention devoted to informing survivors of this link or providing competent legal representation to those suffering from epilepsy and seizures following head trauma. Epilepsy or seizures caused by accidents is known as traumatic epilepsy or traumatic seizure disorder.
Epilepsy and seizure disorders are terms that can bring fear to the hearts of all those who hear the term or experience life with a victim. In many instances, an individual’s epilepsy or seizures can be traced back to a head injury they sustained or an accident that caused them to sustain a traumatic brain injury.
Any type of traumatic brain injury or head trauma can be the cause of epilepsy or a seizure disorder. Common causes include car accidents, construction site accidents, falls as a result of dangerous and unsafe premises and unsafe worksites.
Head trauma is one of the leading causes of epilepsy and seizure disorders. The medical literature reports that traumatic brain injury accounts for almost 5 percent of all individuals who experience epilepsy and seizures. Within the first year following an accident involving head injury, the risk of seizure is 12 times as great as the general population.
The greater the degree of brain injury, the higher the risk for the development of a seizure disorder.
All traumatic brain injury can cause traumatic epilepsy
All types of head injury can cause traumatic epilepsy. It doesn’t matter if the initial head injury was mild, moderate or severe. Traumatic epilepsy can develop following brain injuries with or without loss of consciousness. Both penetrating and non penetrating head injury have been found to be the source of epileptic seizures in victims of traumatic brain injury.
Seizures following brain injury can occur at any time
Early on set seizures
Following head trauma or brain injury, seizures may occur immediately or even days or months later. If the seizure occurs within the first 24 hours following a traumatic brain injury, the seizure is referred to as early onset seizures.
Late seizures
Seizures occurring days, weeks or even months following a traumatic brain injury are referred to as late seizures.
Types of brain injury associated with traumatic epilepsy
While any type of brain trauma can be the cause of traumatic epilepsy, the most frequently found brain injuries associated with the later development of seizures are:
- Skull fractures
- Penetrating injuries to the brain and skull
- Bleeding in the brain including both subdural hemorrhage and epidural hemorrhage
- Open head injury
- Blunt head trauma
- Mild traumatic brain injury resulting in shearing and tearing and stretching of brain fibers
Brain trauma can cause different types of seizures
Seizures come in all shapes and sizes. Although a seizure will always start in a specific part of the brain, it may or may not spread to other areas.
Generalized seizure
When a seizure begins in one area of the brain and then spreads to other areas, this is known as a generalized seizure or a grand mal seizure.
We are all familiar with this type of seizure which generally results in violent shaking of the arms, legs, head and neck. These are referred to as “convulsions”. But, it is important to know that there are individuals who sustain generalized seizures and never have any convulsions. These individuals may just appear to be staring off into space and be dazed. They are disconnected from everything around them and are unaware for that period of time of what is going on.
Partial seizure
In partial seizures only a small part of the brain is affected. The seizure or electrical activity remains confined to one area of the brain and does not spread to other areas. The person may be conscious or unconscious during the seizure.
Frequently partial seizures do not involve convulsions. All that the individual may experience is an altered sense of taste or smell, a feeling of fear or uncontrollable outbursts or crying. It can also involve waking up from a sound sleep on a regular basis, bed wetting, sleep walking or even be a sensation of numbness, tingling or the hearing of strange noises or voices.
Getting help for your seizures and epilepsy
It is important that you consult with a trained neurologist who specializes in seizure disorders. These doctors are frequently associated with hospital epilepsy centers.
Not all epilepsy can be diagnosed by using EEG monitoring
A negative EEG does not mean that an individual does not have a seizure disorder. Not all epilepsy can be diagnosed by using EEG monitoring. While this device measures the electrical activity of the brain, the test must take place during the time that the nerves in the brain are misfiring. Frequently, the results of the EEG are normal even though the person has epilepsy.
In many instances a train epilepsy specialist must resort to careful and detailed questioning of the individual suspected of having epilepsy as well as their family and close friends in order to make a diagnosis. Other times, a person may be hospitalized and monitored continuously using video EEG equipment over several days to attempt to capture a seizure on tape.
Brain injury lawyers who understand traumatic epilepsy
For over 30 years, we have devoted our personal injury practice to representing victims of brain trauma and head injury. We are among the leading advocates in the United States for survivors of traumatic brain injury including traumatic epilepsy and traumatically induced seizure disorder.
The brain injury lawyers at De Caro & Kaplen, LLP are leaders in the brain injury community and devote substantial time and effort to educating the community on the last effects of brain injury including traumatic epilepsy and seizure disorders.
If you or a loved one suffers from epileptic seizures caused by trauma including car accidents, bus or train accidents, truck accidents, falls or being struck by a falling object, you may be entitled to compensation. Contract the epilepsy lawyers at our law firm for a no obligation consultation. We can be reached toll free at 1 866 BRAIN LAW or by email.
