Grade 4 Seizures: Understanding Brain Tumors and Severity

Seizures are often caused by primary tumors in the brain, also known as gliomas. When someone has has a grade 4 seizure, the term "grade 4" refers to the kind of tumor in his brain.

Gliomas

• Gliomas are tumors that arise from cells in the brain rather than from having traveled from another parts of the body. Such tumors are assigned a special name and grade depending on what kind of cells they are created from and how rapidly they grow.

Grades

• Gliomas are categorized into four grades. Grade 1 is the most benign kind of tumor while grade 4 is the most malignant. Grade 1 and 2 tumors are usually slow-growing and not likely to spread. Grade 3 and 4 tumors usually grow quickly and will likely spread to other parts of the brain. A patient with either grade of tumor may be prone to seizures.

Treatment

• Patients suffering from high-grade gliomas can seek treatment in the forms of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. However, because therapy for high-grade tumors usually have limited benefits, patients may want to arrange for care focused on symptom-control, including seizure controlling medication.