Epilepsy A Serious Neurological Disorder – Is there any Hope for Recovery?
Epilepsy describes a neurological disorder where the patient suffers from recurrent seizures or fits. A seizure is caused by a sudden burst of excess electrical activity in the brain which in mild cases can just result in a few minutes of absentmindedness, to violent convulsions or loss of consciousness in more severe cases.
There are many different types of seizures and medical professionals group them separately for diagnosis and treatment purposes. The most common type is Idiopathic seizures, which means there is no known cause, Cryptogenic means there may be a cause but doctors have not been able to identify it, and Symptomatic seizures have a cause and may be due to a brain tumour, an infection in the brain or a severe blow to the head.
Some seizures lead to unconsciousness and the patient is unable to remember the episode when they are revived, whilst some patients remain fully aware of their surroundings during the seizure. A seizure can occur when a person is awake or when they are asleep. A patient needs to have more than one seizure to be diagnosed with Epilepsy, as one in 20 people experience a single seizure episode at one point in their lives but recurrent seizures are less common.
Epilepsy should be diagnosed by a specialist, usually a neurologist. There is no conclusive test to diagnose the condition, although an electroencephalogram test, which is a painless procedure involving the temporary attachment of electrodes on the scalp to record brain wave patterns help doctors to diagnose the disorder. Brain scans, Patient and witness accounts also aid the diagnosis.
There is currently no cure for Epilepsy, but anti-epileptic drugs are available that successfully decrease the number of seizures that occur, and there are several available depending on the type of seizure. Some, like Diamox or Tegretol are for everyday use whilst others like midazolam are for emergency usage. Side effects include feeling dizzy or drowsy. Patients that experience seizures when awake should notify their driving authority as they may not be allowed to drive.
Complimentary treatments include aromatherapy or acupuncture which is helpful for some people, but there is no scientific proof of their effectiveness. Surgery may be recommended, and one type is a minor surgery involving the insertion of A Vagus Nerve Stimulator, a small generator connected to coils, under the skin below the left collar bone in the body. The coils are wrapped around the vagus nerve, (in the left side of the neck) which stimulates it at intervals to reduce the frequency and intensity of seizures. A ketogenic diet that is high in fat and low in carbohydrate may also help.
August 13th, 2009 at 1:26 am
i am sorry you tell you that one time i had a siesurew disorder that was bad. but in 1993 i had brain surgery and it sure as hell helped.
so as far as people seem it’s a fear . that the people that don’t understand it nor think it a disease. sure it cronic , soooooooo.