He/she had an epileptic seizure!
e-pi-LET-ti-ka — five syllables. Stress on third. 'Crisi' — KRI-zi, two syllables.
Report a seizure to the dispatcher. If the person is already having their first seizure or the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, call 118 immediately.
'Crisi epilettica' = epileptic seizure. 'Ha avuto' = has had (passato prossimo). Also: 'convulsioni' (convulsions) or 'attacco' (attack). First aid during seizure: do not restrain the person, move objects away, put them on their side after ('posizione laterale di sicurezza'), time the seizure. Do NOT put anything in their mouth.
Sta ancora avendo le convulsioni.
He is still having convulsions.
Ongoing seizure — if more than 5 minutes, it is status epilepticus and urgent
La crisi è finita ma non si riprende.
The seizure has stopped but he is not recovering.
Post-ictal state — normal but needs monitoring
Non è epilettico. È la prima crisi.
He is not epileptic. It is the first seizure.
First-time seizure always needs emergency evaluation
Italy has about 500,000 people with epilepsy. 'Posizione laterale di sicurezza' (recovery position) is taught in all Italian 'primo soccorso' courses and is the standard post-seizure protocol. Italian law provides some protections for epilepsy in the workplace and driving (seizure-free period required before driving licence is reinstated). The Lega Italiana contro l'Epilessia (LICE) is the main patient association.