An Emergency Medicine-Focused Review of Seizure Mimics

Seizures result in a change in motor, sensory, and behavioral symptoms caused by abnormal neurologic electrical activity. The symptoms share similar presentations of several other conditions, leading to difficulties in diagnosis and frequent improper management.

This review evaluates adult patients with suspected seizure, signs and symptoms of seizure, mimics of seizure, and an approach to management of seizure mimics.

A seizure is caused by abnormal neurologic electrical activity resulting in altered motor, sensory, and behavioral symptoms. Other conditions may present similarly, causing a challenge in diagnosis. These conditions include syncope, psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, stroke or transient ischemic attack, sleep disorders, movement disorders, and migraines. Diagnosis of seizures in the emergency department (ED) is often clinical. Differentiation between seizures and other conditions can be difficult. Laboratories and imaging provide little benefit in definitive diagnosis in the emergency setting. For patients that have an apparent seizure, resuscitation and management is precedent while identifying any provoking factors and treatment of those factors. For adults recovering from suspected seizure, the combination of a focused history, physical examination, and additional studies can provide assistance in diagnosis.

Patients with an apparent seizure should be resuscitated with identification of provoking factors. Many conditions can mimic seizures. A focused history, physical examination, and additional studies will assist in differentiating seizures from mimics.