ANN ARBOR, Mich. (WXYZ) — University of Michigan football running backs coach Mike Hart is doing well after experiencing a medical scare.
He collapsed during the first quarter of the Michigan-Indiana game this weekend and reportedly suffered a seizure.
First, I’m happy to hear that Hart is feeling better. I can understand how scary that situation was for his teammates, family and those attending the game.
As for seizures, they’re more common than you think, and they affect all ages, races and ethnic backgrounds. Now, the medical community defines a seizure as a sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain. We all have nerve cells in our brains, and they communicate with each other through electrical activity. If anything interrupts these connections, it can lead to a seizure.
There is more than one type. The two main categories are focal seizures and generalized seizures. Symptoms and severity depend on which type a person has. General symptoms include:
- Uncontrolled jerking movements of the arms and legs
- Stiffening of the body
- Loss of consciousness
- Falling suddenly for no apparent reason and
- Temporary confusion
Now, how dangerous are they? Well, most seizures last 30 seconds to two minutes. For the most part, the seizure itself isn’t usually dangerous. But they can become a medical emergency if they last longer than five minutes. Permanent injury and even death could happen if they can’t be controlled, or if one seizure occurs right after another.
Also, people can get hurt depending on what the person is doing when the seizure strikes. For example, they could injure their head or break a bone if they fall. Also, deadly car crashes and drownings can, unfortunately, happen as well.
There are several common causes of seizures. For example, a high fever, lack of sleep, flashing lights, high or low blood sugar, brain tumor, head trauma or a brain concussion can all interrupt normal connections between nerve cells in the brain.
As for treatment, not everyone who has one seizure will actually suffer another one. They can be a one-time-only incident. But, if a person has two or more seizures and there’s no known cause, then they are often diagnosed with epilepsy. Medication is typically prescribed based on the type of seizure and age of the person.
The good news is that most people with epilepsy can live a full life with the right treatment. As for Hart, I have much respect for him. I’m very glad he’s doing well and working toward rejoining the team.
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