absence seizure

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈæb.sn̩s ˈsi.ʒɚ/, /ˈæb.sn̩ts ˈsi.ʒɚ/

Noun

absence seizure (plural absence seizures)

1. (medicine) A type of seizure indicative of petit mal epilepsy. Brief seizure lasting up to 30 seconds involving vacantness and lack of awareness, possibly including twitching; not including spasm or unconsciousness.
   • 2022 October 13, Lisa Sanders, M.D., “She Suffered From Headaches and Fatigue. Were Concussions to Blame?”, in The New York Times Magazine‎^[1]:

     She blinked rapidly several times, then her chin lifted slightly and her eyes rolled back. It lasted only seconds but the EEG showed the presence of a type of generalized seizure called an “absence seizure” — characterized by a lack of attention. The strange eye movements indicated a rare type of absence-seizure disorder called Jeavons syndrome.

Translations

term for a petit mal epileptic seizure

• Dutch: petit mal (nl) m
• Russian: абса́нс (ru) m (absáns)