Startle-induced seizure

What it means

Startle-induced seizures are triggered by multiple and non-specific stimuli (auditory, somatosensory, and rarely visual) and are characterized by their sudden unexpected nature. Sudden noise rather than pure sound is the most effective acoustic stimulus.

Seizures are stereotyped and typically unilateral or bilateral tonic in nature.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category