102022.01

What is the difference between passing out and having a seizure

If you feel faint, lie down, or if you're sitting, place your head between your knees. Seizure vs. Seizure specifics. Lasts for longer than 1 minute Loss of bladder or bowel control Tongue biting Convulsions Involuntary movements Lip smacking Drooling Random eye movements Staring into space.

Fainting specifics. Get it under control. Tags: Brain. Expert Advice. Popular Categories. Popular Topics. Women's Health. Patient Stories. Make an Appointment. Schedule a Callback. Call us 24 hours a day. Support Cedars-Sinai. Make a Gift. Share Email Print Fainting vs. In contrast, the latter is caused due to electrical disturbances in the brain.

Fainting, clinically known as syncope, occurs when the amount of blood supply to the brain drops drastically. It involves the loss of consciousness. Seizures, also referred to as convulsions at times, causes a series of symptoms such as loss of consciousness, changes in body language and behaviour. Seizures occur when there is an imbalance of electrical signals sent to the brain, and disturbances occur.

When you see a person lose consciousness suddenly and for no apparent reason, we describe it merely as fainting or passing out. It is easy to identify if a person has fainted through various symptoms that might describe their behaviour. They are as follows —.

Once a person has fainted, it usually lasts for a minute or less, unless they have been injured in any way. Some steps can be taken to help the person, such as lying them down on the floor or sitting them down and checking their pulse rate as well. When a person blacks out and undergo a series of irregular changes in their body language , we can classify it as a seizure. If a person is prone to or tends to have regular and recurrent seizures, that person is said to have epilepsy.

Seizures are, at times, very severe and can happen spontaneously at any moment. These can last longer than a minute at times. Risk factors for seizures include having a brain infection or trauma, withdrawal from alcohol or drugs, brain tumor, or family history. Risk factors for passing out include having some type of cardiac condition, illness, heavy bleeding, dehydration, blood sugar problems, and being on certain medications.

Anti-seizure medications and sometimes brain surgery are treatment options for seizures. Treatment choices for passing out depend on the cause, sometimes an IV with glucose or electrolytes may be helpful. Difference Between Seizure and Passing out.

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