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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffA grand mal seizure — also known as a tonic-clonic seizure — features a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. It's the type of seizure most people picture when they think about seizures in general.
Grand mal seizure is caused by abnormal electrical activity throughout the brain. In some cases, this type of seizure is triggered by other health problems, such as extremely low blood sugar or a stroke. However, most of the time grand mal seizure is caused by epilepsy.
Many people who have a grand mal seizure will never have another one. However, some people need daily anti-seizure medications to control grand mal seizure.
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