Absence Seizure

Absence seizures involve brief, sudden lapses of consciousness. They're more common in children than adults. Someone having an absence seizure may look like he or she is staring into space for a few seconds. This type of seizure usually doesn't lead to physical injury.

Typically, this type of seizure lasts between 10 and 30 seconds. The person, most often a child aged 5 to 15, abruptly stops whatever he's doing (talking, walking) and appears to "stare into space." Absence seizures rarely cause a true convulsion in which the person falls down or collapses. Despite briefly losing consciousness, the person recovers fully with no lingering confusion or other ill effects.

The overall prevalence of seizures is 3.6 per 1000 according to epidemiological studies on the prevalence of epilepsy. The ratio is 3.83% and 3.45% in male and female respectively. There is no significant difference observed in the prevalence of epilepsy on the basis of location.