What Is Epilepsy? – Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that can affect anyone of any gender, age, and background. It is not contagious and has occurred to 3 million people in the US. This makes epilepsy the 4th most common nervous system disease after migraine, stroke, and Alzheimer’s. Do you know someone who has the symptoms? Whether it is for you or your loved one, Puri Medical Clinic in Bali is here to provide you with the best information. We will inform you about what is epilepsy, the causes, symptoms, and its treatments, in the following.

What Is Epilepsy?

So, what is epilepsy? It is also known as a seizure disorder that rises as a result of abnormal electrical brain activity from neurons. It resembles an electrical storm that happens inside your head.  If seizures keep happening more than 24 hours without being provoked by any illness or injury such as fever, stroke, brain injury, and a surge of the blood sugar level, it means you are experiencing epilepsy. However, it is also probable to have epilepsy by the causes of injury or disease.

The Causes

The specific causes of epilepsy are mostly unknown. In general, seizure comes from the abnormality of neurons to send signals to the brain. Genetics might play a role in the occurrence of epilepsy. In other instances, injury or infectious diseases could be the causes of epilepsy. These include tumors, brain or head trauma, stroke, abnormality in brain structure, and so on.

The Symptoms

There are two types of seizures, generalized and focal. In a generalized seizure, your whole brain is affected. You might lose consciousness and experience stiff muscles in the legs and arms, muscle control loss, lip-smacking, muscle twitching in the face, neck, arms, and legs.  Focal (partial) seizures can be divided into simple and complex categories. The simple focal seizure can include dizziness, tingling of limbs, and altering your senses and emotions. The complex one can impair your consciousness; you stare may blankly at one point, become unresponsive, and perform recurrent movements.

Who Is More Prone to Epilepsy?

Although everyone can develop epilepsy, there are certain aspects that can put someone at a higher risk of epilepsy. Infants, toddlers, and young children are vulnerable to encountering seizures since their brain is developing. Disruption amidst this phase may cause epilepsy. It could be because of genetic mutation, an infection carried by the infants’ mothers during their pregnancy, or head trauma. This age group has the tendency to catch febrile seizures (a type of seizure with high fever in children). The cases of epilepsy are lowering in teenage to middle-aged years, then increasing again in the elderly.

Treatments

People who has an epilepsy can have a normal life and live long. Getting the proper treatment can help you minimize the injury, thus tackling the seizures.

Moreover, to ensure that an individual is having epilepsy, health professionals will perform brain scans using EEG, MRI, or PET to check on the patient’s brainwaves. If the patient does develop epilepsy, the health professional will prescribe medications depending upon the type of seizure he is suffering from. Treatments might involve a change of diet, medical devices, or surgery.  To determine the spot-on treatment plan will need several trials and errors too. A neurologist will work with the individual and evaluate the success of the treatment plan.

Related article: Febrile Seizure in Children: Causes, Symptoms, First Aid

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