Summary

• Common seizure type characterised by loss of consciousness, widespread motor manifestations of tonic contractions followed by clonic jerking movements, and a suppressed level of arousal following the event.
• May either reflect an underlying primary generalised epilepsy or focal epilepsy that has secondarily generalised.
• MRI and EEG are essential tests for properly diagnosing an epilepsy syndrome after a generalised tonic-clonic seizure (GTCS). During a GTCS, the EEG will demonstrate bilateral synchrony in the epileptiform activity.
• After a GTCS, treatment depends on the type of epilepsy syndrome identified. A primary generalised epilepsy is treated differently to focal epilepsy. With proper diagnosis, most seizure disorders respond to treatment.
• The primary treatment complications include lack of efficacy and medication side effects or idiosyncratic reactions.