Table 1.

Definitions of seizures (triggered and untriggered) and epilepsy according to the International Epilepsy League.

Seizure:

Transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms caused by excessive or simultaneous abnormal neuronal activity in the brain.

Untriggered/Unprovoked seizures:

Those occurring in the absence of a specific clinical context that reduces the individual’s seizure threshold.

Triggered/Provoked seizures:

Those occurring in a specific clinical context that reduces the individual’s seizure threshold (e.g., infection or fever, acute brain injury whether ischemic/hemorrhagic/inflammatory-infectious or traumatic, consumption of toxic substances, metabolic disturbances, abrupt withdrawal of medications that may promote seizures such as benzodiazepines, sleep deprivation…).

Epilepsy:

Refers to one of the following conditions:

(1) occurrence of at least 2 unprovoked seizures separated by ≥24 h;

(2) occurrence of an unprovoked seizure and an estimated probability of 10-year seizure recurrence similar to the overall recurrence after 2 unprovoked seizures (estimated >60%) or

(3) diagnosis of a specific epileptic syndrome.