Epilepsy- Epilepsy Causes Symptoms and Treatment

When we hear the word epilepsy, the first thing that springs to mind is a condition in which the patient experiences seizures and frequently passes out on the floor or becomes uncontrolled. Additionally, the patient loses control of his bladder, and epileptic individuals occasionally exhibit strange behavior. After some time, the attack is over, and the victim regains consciousness. However, the patient is still afraid in the majority of situations. The brain and nerve system are both impacted by the neurological disorder known as epilepsy. Although epilepsy is one of the more prevalent illnesses if a person has frequent seizures, it is difficult to diagnose the condition until the seizures stop. Anyone can get epilepsy, it can affect anyone from every caste, social group, and age. By the way, it tends to affect youngsters or adults over the age of 65. Let’s find out how to identify epilepsy, what causes it, what treatments and therapies could be effective.

Epilepsy- Epilepsy Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment 

Epilepsy Meaning

Epilepsy, was traced back to ancient Babylon about 3000 years ago. In fact it is one of the very common brain disorders that can happen to individuals of any age group. When a person has an epileptic seizure, he behaves very unusual and many times the person suffering from epilepsy does not even remember that he had an attack.

The word Epilepsy is derived from the Greek word attack. In ancient times, people had such a belief about epilepsy that epileptic seizures were caused by the arrival of God or demons, but in 400 BC, some early physicians told that it is a brain disorder that can be due to many reasons. . Epilepsy is characterized by abnormal behavior, sometimes strange behavior, muscle spasms, and sometimes fainting, in clusters of nerve cells and neurons in our brains. Neurons usually generate an electromagnetic impulse that produces the ability to think, feel, and act in humans. Neuronal activity of the human brain in an epilepsy seizure
His normal structure gets disturbed as a result his behavior changes and his nerves go numb even he doesn't even know what is happening to him. Some people have this problem sometimes, while for some people this problem can happen hundreds of times a day.

“According to the WHO, a total of 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy every day”

Types of Epilepsy

There are different types of epilepsy. So far, doctors have discovered more than 100 types of epilepsy syndromes. Different types of epileptic seizures can be identified on the basis of its symptoms, some of which syndromes are hereditary but their exact cause is not yet known. Here are some of the famous types of epilepsy-

• Absence seizures (formerly known as petit mal)
• tonic-clonic or convulsive seizures (formerly known as grand mal)
• Atonic seizures (also known as drop attacks)
• clonic seizures
• tonic seizures
• myoclonic seizures.

Is epilepsy contagious?

Epilepsy is not contagious nor is it a mental illness or mental retardation. The causes of epilepsy is not yet clear, but most often it is due to a head injury, a wound or a tumor, sometimes it can also be hereditary, but it is not at all that it is caused by any one. by touch or spread through the air. Sometimes high-intensity seizures can damage the brain of a patient with epilepsy, but most seizures do not have a harmful effect on the brain.

Causes of Epilepsy

It is difficult to say what causes epileptic seizures and so far the cause of these seizures is not completely clear. Nevertheless, there are some reasons due to which there may be a possibility of having an epileptic seizure, such as due to a head injury, due to a wound in the brain, or sometimes it can also be hereditary. Is. Our brain is made up of many neurons, when an abnormality occurs in these neurons or wires of the brain or there is an abnormality in nerve signaling chemicals (called neurotransmitters), then due to this you can get epilepsy.

Some other factors that contribute to the development of epileptic seizures include:

• Head trauma during a car accident
• Other brain conditions, such as a stroke or tumor
• Infectious diseases, such as AIDS and viral encephalitis
• prenatal injury, or brain damage that occurred before birth
• Autism or neurofibromatosis , a developmental disorder

Children up to 2 years of age are more prone to epilepsy and those over 65 years of age.

Symptoms of Epilepsy

The main epilepsy symptom is frequent seizures. If one or more of the following symptoms appear, the person should see a doctor immediately, especially if they recur:

• An impulse without temperature (no fever)
• blackout, or memory loss
• Intermittent fainting, during which bowel or bladder control is lost, accompanied by exhaustion
• For a short interval, remember nothing
• to be numb for no reason
• to fall suddenly
• sudden bouts of blinking without obvious stimulation
• sudden jerking of chewing for no apparent reason
• For a short time the person starts feeling scared and finds himself unable to talk
• to behave the same way over and over again
• to be suddenly frightened; they may panic or become angry
• Sudden changes in smell, touch, and hearing

The following conditions need to be fulfilled. Sometimes it can be misdiagnosed as epilepsy due to similar symptoms:

• High fever with epilepsy-like symptoms
• fainting
• narcolepsy, or frequent sleepiness during the day
• cataplexy, or muscle weakness
• sleep disorders
• nightmares
• panic attack
• psychotic seizures

Treatment of Epilepsy

As of now, there is no treatment available for many types of epilepsy. Nevertheless, many seizures can be prevented by surgery and it is also useful in managing this condition. If a condition (correctable brain condition) that can be corrected has caused seizures, it can also be prevented with the help of surgery. If your doctor diagnoses epilepsy, he or she will give you medicines to prevent seizures or anti-epileptic medicines.

If the seizures are not getting better even with medicines, then the next option may be surgery, a special diet, or VNS (vagus nerve stimulation). The main objective of your doctor is to prevent the occurrence of epilepsy, as well as it is important to take care that the patient does not have any side effects, so that the patient can lead a normal, active and good life.

Some treatment options include:

Anti-Epileptic Drugs:

These drugs can reduce the number of times you have seizures. In some people, these drugs even stop seizures. For the effect of medicines to be more, it is necessary that the medicines should be taken as prescribed.

Vagus Nerve Stimulator:

This device used for surgery is placed under the skin on the chest and electrically stimulates the nerves running through your neck. It can help prevent seizures.

Brain surgery:

The area of ​​the brain that causes seizures may be removed or replaced.

If you see a person having an epilepsy attack, then immediately treat it early and take him to the doctor immediately and if you or someone you know has this disease, then taking it seriously is right. Get it treated on time.