Paroxysmal state - what is it? Paroxysmal conditions in neurology: causes, symptoms, treatment

There are many diseases, the symptoms of which can have a significant negative impact on health. In addition to this fact, there is also such a problem as the paroxysmal state of the brain. Its essence boils down to the fact that the symptoms of certain diseases for a short period of time significantly increased. Such a process can pose a serious threat to human life, for which reason it deserves attention.

Syndrome of paroxysmal conditions

In order to understand the essence of this diagnosis, you need to understand some of the terms. Under paroxysm, or an attack, it is necessary to understand the transient disruption of the functions of any systems or organs, which occurs suddenly. This condition is divided into two main types: epileptic and non-epileptic.

But speaking in general, we are talking about a situation when a certain painful attack is sharply increased to the highest degree. In some cases, the definition of "paroxysmal condition" is used to describe the recurring symptoms of a particular disease. We are talking about such health problems as marsh fever, gout, etc.

In fact, paroxysms are a reflection of the emerging dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. The most common causes of such attacks are neuroses, hypothalamic disorders and organic brain damage. Crises can be accompanied by migraine and seizures of temporal epilepsy, as well as severe allergies.

Despite the fact that there are several forms through which a paroxysmal condition manifests itself, symptoms with similar characteristics can be found in all cases. This is about the following symptoms: stereotypedness and propensity to recurrence, reversibility of disorders and short-term. Regardless of the paroxysm caused by the disease, this symptomatology will be present in any case.

The provoking factors

So, realizing that at the heart of such a problem as the paroxysmal state, In fact, always there are cerebral disorders, it is worth paying attention to those diseases that can lead to a sudden deterioration in the physical condition, without the appearance of previously noticeable symptoms.

It is this fact that makes it possible to assert that for all the abundance of various pathologies serving as a background for a crisis, one can almost always trace a single etiological picture.

It should be understood that physicians pay enough attention to this problem, therefore, a study was made of the state of a significant number of patients in order to identify common etiological factors that lead to the development of paroxysms. The surveys were primarily focused on working with diseases such as vegetative dystonia, migraine, epilepsy, neuralgia and neuroses, and others.

What diseases cause a crisis

As a result of the above studies, a list of diseases characterized by paroxysms was compiled:

- Metabolic disorders and diseases of the endocrine system. This climacteric syndrome, Cushing's disease, pheochromocytoma, hypercapnia and hypoxia.

- Alcohol and narcotic poisoning also can provoke paroxysmal conditions. Such an effect can be caused by technical poisoning and certain types of medicines.

- A sharp increase in symptoms is possible with such diseases of internal organs as pneumonia, hepatic coma, etc.

- Paroxysm can manifest itself against the background of psycho-vegetative syndrome (neurosis, migraine, hysteria, depressive states, etc.).

- Hereditary diseases also play an important role in provoking such a problem as a paroxysmal condition. This can be the impact of metabolic diseases, systemic degenerations of the central nervous system, etc.

- Do not discount the diseases of the nervous system of the organic type. This is primarily about post-traumatic cerebral spasms, craniocerebral trauma and causalgia. But their negative role can play and vascular pathologies of the brain, as well as neuralgia and ischemic diseases.

How can paroxysm manifest itself?

As stated above, in the vast majority of cases, a sharp exacerbation of symptoms occurs due to impaired brain function. In addition, manifestations that are directly related to cerebral disorders are often recorded, and this is one of the key features of this condition.

In addition, it must be understood that there is both primary and secondary paroxysmal genesis. Primary is due solely to innate factors of manifestation, such as disorders in the brain and genetic location, formed during the embryo development. Secondary paroxysm is a consequence of the influence of internal and external factors. It appears already during life.

This feature does not end with such a problem. Such paroxysmal conditions in neurology that accompany the disease throughout the whole period of its course are fixed. Also, a sharp increase in symptoms may be of a one-time nature and result from a CNS shock state. One of the most striking examples is acute blood loss or a sudden increase in temperature.

There are also cases when paroxysmal seizures, having a short-term and regular character, affect the state of the whole organism. Such attacks often manifest themselves against migraine.

Such changes in the body can perform the function of protection, due to which the stimulation of the compensation component occurs. But this is possible only at an early stage of the disease. But the syndrome of paroxysmal conditions is very dangerous, Because it turns into a significant complicating factor in diseases that can not be called simple initially.

The results of a survey of children

In order to understand how non-epileptic paroxysmal conditions look in children, it makes sense to pay attention to several relevant examples.

First of all, these are delayed breathing, which have a short-term character. To a similar problem can result strong fright, frustration, pain, and also any unexpectedness. During this state, the child can scream, while the cry itself is delayed during exhalation, after which often a loss of consciousness follows. Sometimes there are clonic jerking. Such an attack lasts, as a rule, a minute. Possible pronounced bradycardia and voluntary urination.

Attacks of this kind are most often recorded in the age range from 6 months to 3 years. The good news is that their presence does not promise an increased risk of impaired cognitive abilities or the appearance of epilepsy.

Paroksizmalnoe state of the child - what is it? It is worth paying attention to one more example, which clearly demonstrates a similar problem. It's about losing consciousness. Fainting in this case is the result of acute circulatory insufficiency in the brain area. In fact, this is nothing more than a manifestation of vascular lability.

Fainting occurs mainly in adolescents, among children who are at an early age, such conditions are rare. As for the causes of this problem, they can include a sharp transition from horizontal to vertical position, as well as a state of strong emotional arousal.

Fainting begins with the appearance of a feeling of darkness in the eyes and dizziness. In this case, both loss of consciousness and loss of muscle tone occur at the same time. There is always the possibility that during a child's depression, short-term clonic convulsions may appear. As a rule, children do not remain unconscious due to syncope, for more than 1 minute.

Reflex epilepsy is another problem caused by a paroxysmal condition in a child. It's too dangerous to talk about this. Stressful situations and flashes of light can provoke such manifestations. But complicated activity and auditory stimuli are unlikely to cause reflex epilepsy.

Non-epileptic form

Considering the syndrome of paroxysmal conditions, it is worth paying attention to those diseases that are more often accompanied by similar crises.

There are four main types of diseases within the group, which are recorded most often in the clinic and, in turn, have other more specific forms. These are the following issues:

- headache;

- myoclonic syndromes and other hyperkinetic conditions;

- vegetative disorders;

- muscular dystonic syndromes and dystonia.

In most cases, these problems are fixed in patients who have not reached adulthood. But more recently, the paroxysmal condition has been showing itself for the first time in adulthood. It is also possible dynamic progression of the symptoms of the aforementioned diseases, which are weighted against the background of chronic and acute disorders of cerebral circulation or age-related cerebral disorders.

It is also important to take into account the fact that in some cases, non-epileptic paroxysmal conditions may be the result of exposure to certain medications prescribed to neutralize circulatory insufficiency, as well as diseases such as parkinsonism and certain mental disorders due to senile age.

Epilepsy and paroxysmal conditions

This is quite an uneasy diagnosis in terms of its negative impact on a person. But first you need to remember what epilepsy is. This is a chronic pathological disease of the brain, which is characterized by convulsions that have a different clinical structure and are constantly repeated at the same time. For this state, psychopathic paroxysmal and non-road manifestations are also characteristic.

It is possible to develop two forms of epilepsy: genoinic and symptomatic. The latter is a consequence of craniocerebral injuries, intoxications, brain tumors, acute circulatory disorders in the head region, etc.

It should be understood that a special relationship between the epileptic focus and various parts of the nervous system causes the occurrence of repeated seizures of a different clinical structure. Some features of the pathological process can lead to such a result.

In addition, there may be other paroxysmal conditions

Different forms of seizures

Epilepsy is not the only form of manifestations of CNS disorders. There are other paroxysmal conditions in neurology, which can be classified as epileptic.

One of the striking examples are sensory (sensitive) Jackson seizures. Their manifestation occurs when a person is conscious. Symptoms in this case are reduced to tingling and numbness in the face, limbs and half of the trunk. In some cases, sensory seizures can go into motor attacks, which will significantly complicate the patient's condition.

Attention should be paid to Jackson epilepsy. In this case, both sensory and motor attacks are possible. The latter are particularly problematic, as they imply muscle cramps in parts of the face and limbs that are located on the opposite side of the epileptic focus. In this case, violations in consciousness, as a rule, are not observed. In some cases, motor attacks can go to generalized.

Complex absences may be atonic, myoclonic, and akinetic. The first make themselves felt through a sudden fall, the cause of which is a sharp decrease in the postural tone of the legs. As for the myoclonic form, it is characterized by rhythmic short-term twitching of the muscles, accompanied by a deenergizing of consciousness. Akinetic absences - seizure with immobility, as a result of which fall is also probable.

Perhaps the manifestation of small absences in which a person also sinks into an unconscious state. No feelings of malaise after it is complete. The very moment of the seizure the patient often can not remember.

Kozhevnikovskaya epilepsy is characterized by limited short cramps, which have a clonic character. They grab most often the muscles of the hands, but the process can be exposed to the tongue, face and even feet. Loss of consciousness with such cramps is a rare phenomenon.

Generalized status epilepticus

This form of seizures is serious enough to give her special attention. In fact, we are talking about the development of tonic-clonic seizures in all parts of the body. This paroxysmal state manifests itself suddenly, while fixing a slight muscle tension and a moderate dilatation of the pupils. On this symptoms do not end and go to the tonic phase, lasting from 15 minutes to half an hour.

The tonic phase is characterized by stress of the trunk, limbs, and also chewing and facial muscles. At the same time, the tone of the body becomes so high that it is virtually impossible to change the position of the body.

As for the clonic phase, its duration is 10-40 seconds, during which the rhythmic closures of the oral slit are fixed. In this state, there is a high risk that a person will bite the tongue, as a result of which a reddish-colored foam may appear from the mouth (stained with blood).

The next phase of the generalized status is relaxation, which is expressed in spontaneous defecation and urination. On this, the troubles do not end: every fit ends with post-paroxysmal exhaustion. In other words, depression of reflexes, hypotonia of muscles and a depression of a coma come. This state lasts an average of 30 minutes. Then comes the final phase of epileptic prostration.

How to help in case of seizures

Treatment of paroxysmal conditions is the lot of highly qualified specialists. Therefore, if signs of a single seizure become noticeable, especially when it is the first, the patient should be urgently hospitalized in the neurosurgical or neurological department. There he will be able to examine and determine the actual treatment plan.

It is important to ensure that before the patient is taken to the hospital, he does not receive any injuries. Also it is necessary to put a spoon wrapped in a bandage in the oral cavity or use a rotor expander.

In most cases, the treatment of patients with epileptic status begins already in the ambulance. If the physicians are not yet around, and a person continues to attack, the first thing to do is to exclude the possibility of aspiration of vomit or mechanical asphyxia due to loss of the tongue. To do this, enter the airway into the mouth, first releasing it. It also makes sense to try to block seizures and support cardiac activity.

As for non-epileptic forms, here the causes of paroxysmal conditions can be completely different. Everything depends on the key disease, the symptoms of which are exacerbated. Therefore, the best thing that can be done is to bring a person to the hospital as soon as possible, where they can examine him and make an accurate diagnosis.

Results

Paroxysmal conditions can be attributed to the category of diseases that can not only significantly worsen a person's condition, but also lead to a fatal outcome. This means that in case of seizures or other symptoms of this problem, you need to thoroughly take care of the treatment. If you let things go by themselves, the risk of a sad outcome will increase significantly.