First aid in the epileptic crisis

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Epileptic seizures can have very different manifestations and intensities. Many people do not know the symptoms and do not know how to react in the event of a crisis.

About 70,000 people in Switzerland are affected by epilepsy. These crises can have different causes because it is not a single disease: not all people who have one or more epileptic seizures necessarily suffer from epilepsy. Epilepsy is spoken only after the occurrence of at least two crises at least 24 hours apart, which occurred spontaneously and without recognizable motives.

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Epileptic seizure means a temporary functional brain disorder. Symptoms can be very different. Of the possible characteristic signs is a sudden fall, salivation and rapid breathing, but also a brief respiratory arrest with the lips becoming blue, as well as muscle contractions and stiffness throughout the body. As a rule, a crisis lasts one to two minutes, rarely longer but only a few seconds.

Many rescuers are impressed and get stuck when a person in their environment suffers an epileptic seizure. To help an interested party, you can act as follows:

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• Avoid falling as far as possible and lay the person down.
• Protect the person from any consequent injuries, but without immobilizing them. Immobilization of the affected person during and, above all, even after the crisis increases the risk of injury.
• Remove all objects that may be hampered.
• Put something soft under the person's head, take off any glasses and untie tight clothes around the neck.
• Do not put anything in your mouth to avoid tongue bites. This could cause airway obstruction.
• In case of loss of consciousness after the crisis, proceed according to the BLS * -AED ** protocols. During the attack, you should not do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or put the person on your side.
Keep calm and record the duration of the crisis. As a general rule, it is not necessary to call a doctor unless: