A type of seizure caused by generalised irritation of the brain with loss of consciousness.
Sometimes the cause is never known, but it has often been associated with trauma, infection, malignancy, and genetic and toxic changes that irritate brain tissue.
Tonic-clonic seizures have three phases: the first, in which the patient's muscles stiffen; the second, in which the patient loses consciousness and starts making generalised and repetitive movements; and the third, in which the patient wakes up, is bedridden, lethargic and has amnesia and doesn't remember what happened.
Diagnosis is made by taking a medical history, performing a full physical examination and an electroencephalogram. Additional imaging tests may be used to complete the picture.
Treatment is based on treating the triggering cause with anti-epileptic drugs, which are also used to prevent new seizures. Sometimes childhood epilepsy disappears with the onset of puberty.
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