A central nervous system disorder in which in the nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed that causes seizures. In this disease, the human brain activity becomes abnormal, causing periods of unusual behaviors, sensations & even loss of awareness sometimes. People with epilepsy have recurrent seizures. In this, every system of the human body is triggered by messaging systems in our brain.
SYMPTOMS
Listed below are some common symptoms that can be seen in any person experiencing such a seizure.
- Repeated seizures
- Repetitive movements that seem inappropriate
- Peculiar changes in senses like smell sound & touch
- Rapid jerk or rhythmic movements such as legs, body or arms jerk in babies
- make some awkward sound or cry out, stiffen for some seconds
- For no particular reason, the affected person becomes angry, fearful or sometimes may even panic
- Sudden bouts of chewing for no reason
- Eyes are open wide & loss of urine is common
- Often confusion briefly after a generalized seizure
- Confused memory or short spells of blackout
- Person becomes unresponsive to questions or instructions, for a short time
- Person suddenly becomes stiff, rigid (hard), suddenly falls, dazed & unable to communicate
- Intermittent fainting spells during which lose of bladder or bowel control with extreme tiredness. · Sudden bouts of blinking with no apparent stimuli
CAUSES
How a person does get epilepsy?
Messaging systems trigger every function in the human body in our brain. When this system is disrupted due to faulty electrical activity, epilepsy results out.
The exact cause is unknown in many cases. Some people have inherited genetic factors that make epilepsy more likely to occur.
Generally, it is most likely to appear/ be seen in children less than two years of age and adults over 65 years.
Other risk factors that may include:
- Head trauma during a car crash
- Brain conditions including stroke or tumors
- Infectious diseases like AIDS and Viral encephalitis
- Prenatal injury or Brain damage that occurs before birth
- Developmental disorders such as Autism or Neurofibromatosis
What a patient with epilepsy experiences during a seizure will depend on which part of the brain is affected, and how widely and quickly it spreads from that area.
TREATMENTS
There is currently no cure for most types of epilepsy. However, surgery can stop some kinds of seizure from occurring, and in many cases, the condition can be managed.
If any underlying brain condition is causing seizures, sometimes surgery can stop them. If epilepsy is diagnosed, seizure-preventing drugs or anti-epileptic medicines will be prescribed by the doctor. If these do not work, the next option could be surgery, a special diet or VNS (vagus nerve stimulation). Our specialist & neurologist doctor’s aim is to prevent further seizures from occurring while avoiding side effects so that the patient can lead a normal, active and productive life.
