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Convulsões generalizadas em adultos

Last reviewed: 20 Sep 2025
Last updated: 14 Mar 2025

Summary

Definition

History and exam

Key diagnostic factors

  • presença de fatores de risco
  • deficits neurológicos focais
  • sintomas neurológicos focais (antes ou depois da convulsão)
  • sensação ou experiência premonitória (medo, sensação epigástrica, déjà vu, jamais vu)
  • hemiparesia temporária
  • afasia temporária
  • febre, rigidez da nuca, estado mental alterado
Full details

Other diagnostic factors

  • achados neurocutâneos de doença neurológica
Full details

Risk factors

  • história familiar (estendida ou imediata) de epilepsia de início generalizado
  • Infecção prévia do sistema nervoso central (SNC)
  • trauma cranioencefálico
  • Lesões no SNC
  • acidente vascular cerebral (AVC)
  • insulto cerebral pré-natal ou perinatal
  • deficiência intelectual
  • vírus da imunodeficiência humana (HIV)
  • eventos convulsivos prévios ou suspeita de eventos convulsivos
  • História de abuso de substâncias
  • nascimento pré-termo
  • convulsões febris múltiplas ou complicadas
Full details

Diagnostic investigations

1st investigations to order

  • eletroencefalograma (EEG)
  • glicose sanguínea
  • Hemograma completo
  • painel de eletrólitos
  • análise toxicológica
  • tomografia computadorizada (TC) de crânio
Full details

Investigations to consider

  • ressonância nuclear magnética (RNM) cranioencefálica
  • punção lombar
  • creatina quinase (CK) sérica
Full details

Treatment algorithm

ACUTE

convulsões agudas repetitivas: na comunidade

convulsões agudas repetitivas: no hospital

ONGOING

≥2 crises tônico-clônicas generalizadas (CTCGs) não provocadas sem diagnóstico de síndrome

≥2 crises tônico-clônicas generalizadas (CTCGs) não provocadas com epilepsia de início focal

≥2 CTCGs não provocadas com epilepsia de início generalizado

Contributors

Authors

Abdulrahman Alwaki, MD

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Emory University School of Medicine

Atlanta

GA

Disclosures

AA declares that he has no competing interests.

Daniel Winkel, MD

Assistant Professor of Neurology

Emory University School of Medicine

Atlanta

GA

Disclosures

DW receives consulting fees from NextSense, Inc.

Acknowledgements

Dr Abdulrahman Alwaki and Dr Daniel Winkel would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Vikram R. Rao, Dr John D. Hixson, and Dr Daniel H. Lowenstein, previous contributors to this topic.

Disclosures

VRR has served as a paid consultant for NeuroPace, Inc., manufacturer of the Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) System. VRR is also an author of several references cited in this topic. JDH has received research funding and consultancy funds from UCB Inc. DHL declares that he has no competing interests.

Peer reviewers

Mauricio F. Villamar, MD, FACNS

Assistant Professor of Neurology and Clinician Educator

The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University

Providence

RI

Disclosures

MFV declares that he has no competing interests.

Ranmal Samarasinghe, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor

Department of Neurology

David Geffen School of Medicine

UCLA

Los Angeles

CA

Disclosures

RS declares that he has no competing interests.

Edward Barry Bromfield, MD

Chief

Division of Epilepsy and Sleep

Department of Neurology

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Associate Professor of Neurology

Harvard Medical School

Boston

MA

Disclosures

EBB has received speaking fees from ICR Pharma, Novartis, Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer. He has received consulting fees from ICR Pharma, Genzyme, and Spherics, and research funding from UCB Pharma. Unfortunately we have since been made aware that EBB is deceased.

Roderick Duncan, MD, PhD, FRCP

Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer

University of Glasgow

Institute of Neurological Sciences

Glasgow

UK

Disclosures

Not disclosed.

Peer reviewer acknowledgements

BMJ Best Practice topics are updated on a rolling basis in line with developments in evidence and guidance. The peer reviewers listed here have reviewed the content at least once during the history of the topic.

Disclosures

Peer reviewer affiliations and disclosures pertain to the time of the review.

References

Our in-house evidence and editorial teams collaborate with international expert contributors and peer reviewers to ensure that we provide access to the most clinically relevant information possible.

Key articles

Fisher RS, Cross JH, French JA, et al. Operational classification of seizure types by the International League Against Epilepsy: position paper of the ILAE Commission for Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia. 2017 Apr;58(4):522-30.Full text  Abstract

Scheffer IE, Berkovic S, Capovilla G, et al. ILAE classification of the epilepsies: position paper of the ILAE Commission for Classification and Terminology. Epilepsia. 2017 Apr;58(4):512-21.Full text  Abstract

Bernasconi A, Cendes F, Theodore WH, et al. Recommendations for the use of structural magnetic resonance imaging in the care of patients with epilepsy: a consensus report from the International League Against Epilepsy Neuroimaging Task Force. Epilepsia. 2019 Jun;60(6):1054-68. Abstract

Guery D, Rheims S. Clinical management of drug resistant epilepsy: a review on current strategies. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2021;17:2229-42.Full text  Abstract

Krumholz A, Wiebe S, Gronseth GS, et al. Evidence-based guideline: management of an unprovoked first seizure in adults. Neurology. 2015 Apr 21;84(16):1705-13.Full text  Abstract

Campos MSA, Ayres LR, Morelo MRS, et al. Comparative efficacy of antiepileptic drugs for patients with generalized epileptic seizures: systematic review and network meta-analyses. Int J Clin Pharm. 2018 Jun;40(3):589-98. Abstract

Reference articles

A full list of sources referenced in this topic is available to users with access to all of BMJ Best Practice.
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