November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month (NEAM). This presents an opportunity to highlight one of the most common but often misunderstood, neurological disorders — Epilepsy.

It is the 4th most common neurological disease. It is more common in children and the elderly. While anyone of any age and any population can develop it, it is more common in children and the elderly. It’s estimated that about 3.4 million people nationwide — and more than 65 million globally suffer from epilepsy. Additionally, about 1 in 26 people will develop this disease at some point during their lifetime.

All about Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a central nervous system disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of seizures or fits. In simple words, it is a problem with the brain's electrical system.

Epilepsy: Symptoms

Seizures can cause symptoms such as a loss of consciousness, unusual jerking movements (convulsions) as well as other unusual feelings, sensations, and behaviors.

There are many different types of seizures. Generalized seizures involve the whole brain and therefore the whole body is affected. Focal seizures involve only part of the brain.

In most cases, a person will have the same type of seizure each time, so their symptoms will be similar from episode to episode.

Causes of Epilepsy

Epilepsy occurs as a consequence of permanent changes in the brain either due to some medical disorder or injury to the brain.
The most common known causes of epilepsy include:

-Traumatic brain injury
-Stroke or transient ischemic attack
-Loss of brain function, dementia
-A congenital brain disorder is the brain disorders present from birth
-Brain tumors
-Cerebral infections including meningitis, encephalitis, brain abscess
-Abnormal blood vessels in the brain
-Metabolic disorders like phenylketonuria
-Bleeding or hemorrhage of the brain

Treatment options

The treatment options for epilepsy include:

Medication: Anti-convulsant or anti-epileptic drugs are the most common treatment for epilepsy. If one medication is not successful in controlling seizures, the doctors switch the drugs or adjust the dosage.

Surgery: If your doctors can determine that your seizures always begin in a single area of the brain, removing that part of the brain can stop them or make seizures easier to manage. Surgery can also treat conditions that cause seizures, such as brain tumors.

The procedures included in this approach are:

-Temporal lobe resection surgery
-Functional Hemispherectomy

Palliative: This approach has opted when there is no definite lesion identified. This procedure aims to reduce the frequency and severity of the seizures by disrupting the nerve pathways that propagates the seizure.

Seizure First Aid

Educate Others About Seizure First Aid. Show others how to take care of someone having a seizure. Seizure First Aid is simple - Three Ss: Stay, Safe, Side.

-STAY with the person and start timing the seizure. Remain calm and check for medical ID.
-Keep the person SAFE. Move or guide away from harmful objects.
-Turn the person onto their SIDE if they are not awake and aware. Don't block the airway, put something small and soft under the head, loosen tight clothes around the neck.
-Do NOT put anything in their mouth. Don't give water, pills, or food until the person is awake.
-Do NOT restrain.
-STAY with them until they are awake and alert after the seizure. Most seizures end in a few minutes.

Learn to recognize the symptoms and get medical help when necessary.

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References:

https://www.epilepsy.com/make-difference/public-awareness/national-epilepsy-awareness-month