Difference Between Seizure and Stroke
There are a number of medical conditions that confuse people due to the similarities in their signs and symptoms, and seizures and strokes are two such conditions. Though both of these conditions relate to abnormalities in the functioning of the brain, their causes, complications and courses of treatment are all quite different.
A stroke usually results from the blockage of blood vessels inside the brain, which can be caused by the contraction of the arteries leading to the brain or a blood clot struck in some artery. A seizure, on the other hand, often occurs in association with a known underlying seizure disorder, such as epilepsy.
A person suffers from stroke only once in a lifetime, whereas seizures are repetitive in nature – that is, a person who has a seizure is likely to have been through the experience before and has a higher probability of experiencing the condition again. A stroke may lead to death, and if not fatal, it can cause permanent disabilities to the patient, including a decreased ability to walk, talk, and concentrate on day to day activities. A seizure, on the other hand, is not life threatening, and rarely causes permanent damage.
The symptoms of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body, slurred speech, vision problems, and dizziness accompanied by severe headache. The symptoms of a seizure, on the other hand, include severe shaking or convulsing of the body; in some cases, the person may even fall unconscious. Furthermore, strokes are more common in elderly people, while seizures can occur at any age.
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Stroke
A stroke is the rapid loss of brain function due to an insufficient supply of blood to the brain. There are a number of factors that can disturb the blood supply to the brain, including the blockage of blood flow in the arteries of the brain, or the narrowing or clogging of one or more arteries due to the formation of blood clots or a burst blood vessel in the brain. It is a medical emergency that can cause permanent neurological disabilities, and at times death. People with high blood pressure are at a higher risk of suffering from a stroke.
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Seizure
A seizure is a medical condition that occurs due to a sudden increase in the activity of neurons in the brain, and is usually experienced by the patients of epilepsy. The term seizure is often used interchangeably with “convulsion”, a medical condition in which a person’s body suddenly starts shaking rapidly and uncontrollably. During a convulsion attack, the muscles of the patient's body contract and relax repeatedly, a condition which is very much similar to a seizure attack.
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