What is epilepsy?
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What is epilepsy and what are the treatment for epilepsy, its causes, and types? |
Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system that causes brain activity to become abnormal, resulting in seizures or periods of unusual behavior and sensations, and sometimes loss of consciousness.
Anyone can develop epilepsy. Epilepsy affects males and females of all races, backgrounds, and ages.
Symptoms of epileptic seizures can vary greatly. Some people with epilepsy simply stare into the void during the seizure for a few seconds, while others convulse the arms or feet repeatedly. And you can't be diagnosed with epilepsy because of a single seizure. A diagnosis of epilepsy generally requires at least two seizures without a known trigger, 24 hours apart.
Treatment with medication and sometimes surgery can control seizures in most people. Some people need lifelong treatment to control their seizures, while others eventually go away. Some children with epilepsy may recover with age.
Symptoms of epilepsy.
Because epilepsy is caused by abnormal activity in the brain, seizures can affect whatever process the brain coordinates. Signs and symptoms of an epileptic seizure may include:
- Temporary confusion
- stare into the void
- muscle stiffness
- Uncontrollable twitching of arms and legs
- Loss of consciousness or awareness
- Psychological symptoms such as fear, anxiety, or illusion (déjà vu)
Side effects shift contingent upon the kind of seizure. As a rule, an individual with epilepsy ordinarily has a similar kind of seizure each time; Hence, the manifestations are comparable starting with one episode then onto the next.
Generally, doctors classify epileptic seizures into focal seizures or generalized seizures, based on the region from which and how the abnormal brain activity begins.
Causes of epilepsy.
The reasons for unexpected epilepsy differ and fluctuate, and among these reasons is the accompanying:
1. Central nervous system infection.
Contamination of the cerebrum because of disease with microscopic organisms, infections, and parasites can cause abrupt epilepsy, as a disease with these microorganisms will irritate the mind tissue, which prompts interruption of neurological movement in the cerebrum. Such as:
- Tuberculosis affects the central nervous system.
- Neurocysticercosis.
- Meningitis or encephalitis.
- Brain abscess.
- Onchocerciasis.
- Cerebral toxoplasmosis.
2. Brain tumors.
Sudden epileptic seizures are usually one of the early signs of brain tumors, and this may be accompanied by a headache at different times, and the frequency of seizures and their increasing intensity is an indication of tumor growth, bleeding, or swelling.
3. Head and brain injuries.
Injury to the head and cerebrum can cause epileptic seizures. These seizures might happen following the injury or within the space of hours or days. Factors that increment the gamble of seizures after head and cerebrum wounds include:
- The patient was more than 65 years of age.
- Chronic alcohol abuse.
- Assuming the injury has entered the skull.
- Brain contusion.
- The presence of a brain hemorrhage.
4. Maltreatment of energizers and withdrawal indications of tranquilizers.
A few substances can change the action of synapses, prompting seizures. A few substances might upset the electrolytes or bloodstream in the mind, bringing about a seizure. Among these mods is the accompanying:
- Antidepressants.
- Diphenhydramine.
- Cocaine.
- Methamphetamine.
- Tramadol
- Isoniazid.
Also, a few substances have a quieting impact on the cerebrum. If the patient is continually taking ordinary dosages of this medication, an unexpected stop might prompt a seizure.
5. Stroke.
A stroke might create some issues with electrical movement in the cerebrum, prompting a seizure. A seizure most frequently happens within 24 hours of a stroke however may happen a long time after the stroke.
6. High body temperature.
High fever can cause seizures, particularly in little youngsters and babies, and these seizures are called febrile seizures. Having a febrile seizure doesn't imply that a kid will have seizures when they grow up.
Hypoglycemia or electrolyte disturbance may cause seizures.
Types of epilepsy.
It is important to know the classification of the epileptic seizure that the patient suffers from to help him choose the appropriate treatment. The types of epilepsy are divided into two main groups, which are as follows:
1. Generalized seizures.
These are seizures that result from abnormal electrical impulses spread throughout the brain. This type of epilepsy is classified into six subtypes as follows:
- Tonic-clonic seizure
Also called a grand mal seizure, it may make a person scream, lose consciousness, fall, lose bladder control, stiffen and shake, and may cause muscle spasms, and these seizures are the strongest.
- seizure with unconsciousness (absence seizure)
Sometimes called petit mal seizures, they may cause eye blinking multiple times, or staring into space for seconds, and may cause a brief loss of consciousness.
- myoclonic seizure
Myoclonic seizures occur in different types of epilepsy in children, and their symptoms include sudden muscle tremors in part or all of the body, the hand may move suddenly, the shoulder may shake, the foot may move in a kicking motion, or the whole body may shake.
- clonic seizure
During this episode, a person may lose control of their bodily functions, convulsions may occur in different parts of the body, and a person may temporarily lose consciousness, followed by confusion and disorientation.
- Tonic seizure
Seizures are infrequent and usually appear with Lennox-gastaut syndrome.
These seizures are characterized by muscle spasms in the face and trunk, in addition to the possibility of bending or stretching in the upper and lower extremities, and there may be impaired consciousness.
Tonic attacks often develop in childhood, although they can occur at any age.
- Atonic seizure
In this type of seizure, the person suddenly loses consciousness and collapses, and falls to the ground without warning.
Lennox-Gastaut syndrome may have jaundice.
2. Partial seizures
It is one of the types of epilepsy and is defined as a seizure caused by electrical impulses generated from a local or relatively small part of the brain. It is also known as focal seizures.
- Focal seizures with preserved consciousness
It is also known as a simple partial seizure, as it appears from its name that it does not lead to loss of consciousness, but may change feelings, or how things look or change smell, taste, sound, and sensation.
It may also lead to involuntary spasms in some parts of the body, dizziness, numbness, or seeing bright lights.
Simple partial seizures are divided into four groups according to the difference in symptoms, as follows:
- Focal seizures with partial loss of consciousness
It is also known as a complex partial seizure, as the name indicates one of its features, which is the loss of consciousness or a change in it, in which the person is staring into space during the seizure, and it also includes the occurrence of automatic involuntary movements, such as: chewing, wandering or fidgeting.
Epilepsy diagnosis.
To analyze your condition, your primary care physician will audit your side effects and clinical history. Your primary care physician might arrange a few tests to analyze epilepsy and decide the reason for the seizures. Your assessment might include:
- Neurological examination. Your doctor may test your behavior, motor abilities, mental function, and other functions to diagnose your condition and determine the type of epilepsy you have.
- blood tests; Your doctor may take a blood sample to check for signs of infection, genetic disease, or other conditions that may be related to seizures.
Your doctor may also suggest tests to detect abnormalities in your brain. These tests include:
- Electroencephalogram (EEG). This is the most widely recognized test used to analyze epilepsy. In this test, terminals are appended to the scalp with delicate cement or headgear The anodes record the electrical action in your mind.
If you have epilepsy, it's common for changes in the normal pattern of brain waves to occur even if you haven't had a seizure. Your doctor may watch you on video while performing an EEG while awake or asleep to record any seizures you may have. Recording episodes can help your doctor determine what type of seizures you're having or rule out other conditions.
The test can be done in a doctor's office or a hospital. If appropriate, you may also have an ambulatory EEG, wearing the device at home while the EEG records seizure activity over a few days.
Your doctor may instruct you to do something that triggers the seizures, such as getting a little sleep before the exam.
- High-density EEG. In a different form of EEG test, your doctor may recommend a high-density EEG, which separates the electrode from traditional EEG — about half a centimeter away. A high-density EEG can help your doctor more accurately determine which areas of your brain are affected by seizures.
- Computed tomography. A computed tomography scan uses X-rays to obtain cross-sectional images of the brain. A CT scan can show brain disorders, such as tumors, hemorrhages, and cysts, that may be causing your seizures.
- Attractive reverberation imaging (MRI). An MRI utilizes strong magnets and radio waves to make a nitty-gritty perspective on the mind. Your PCP might have the option to recognize sores or problems in the mind that might be causing seizures.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging. A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan measures changes in blood flow while certain parts of the brain are working. Doctors may use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before surgery to locate the exact locations of centers of vital functions, such as speech and movement so that surgeons can avoid injuring these locations during surgery.
- Positron emission tomography. During a PET scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected at a low dose into a vein to help show the brain's metabolic activity and detect abnormalities. The areas of the brain with low metabolism indicate where seizures occur.
- Single-photon computed tomography (SPECT). This type of test is primarily used if you've had MRI and EEG scans but they didn't indicate where the seizures started in the brain.
During a SPECT scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected at a low dose into a vein to create a detailed 3-D map of your brain's blood flow activity during a seizure. The areas of the brain where blood flow is higher than normal during a seizure indicate seizures. are
Epilepsy diagnosis.
To analyze your condition, your primary care physician will audit your side effects and clinical history. Your primary care physician might arrange a few tests to analyze epilepsy and decide the reason for the seizures. Your assessment might include:
- Neurological examination. Your doctor may test your behavior, motor abilities, mental function, and other functions to diagnose your condition and determine the type of epilepsy you have.
- blood tests; Your doctor may take a blood sample to check for signs of infection, genetic disease, or other conditions that may be related to seizures.
Your doctor may also suggest tests to detect abnormalities in your brain. These tests include:
- Electroencephalogram (EEG). This is the most widely recognized test used to analyze epilepsy. In this test, terminals are appended to the scalp with delicate cement or headgear The anodes record the electrical action in your mind.
If you have epilepsy, it's common for changes in the normal pattern of brain waves to occur even if you haven't had a seizure. Your doctor may watch you on video while performing an EEG while awake or asleep to record any seizures you may have. Recording episodes can help your doctor determine what type of seizures you're having or rule out other conditions.
The test can be done in a doctor's office or a hospital. If appropriate, you may also have an ambulatory EEG, wearing the device at home while the EEG records seizure activity over a few days.
Your doctor may instruct you to do something that triggers the seizures, such as getting a little sleep before the exam.
- High-density EEG. In a different form of EEG test, your doctor may recommend a high-density EEG, which separates the electrode from traditional EEG — about half a centimeter away. A high-density EEG can help your doctor more accurately determine which areas of your brain are affected by seizures.
- Computed tomography. A computed tomography scan uses X-rays to obtain cross-sectional images of the brain. A CT scan can show brain disorders, such as tumors, hemorrhages, and cysts, that may be causing your seizures.
- Attractive reverberation imaging (MRI). An MRI utilizes strong magnets and radio waves to make a nitty-gritty perspective on the mind. Your PCP might have the option to recognize sores or problems in the mind that might be causing seizures.
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging. A functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan measures changes in blood flow while certain parts of the brain are working. Doctors may use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) before surgery to locate the exact locations of centers of vital functions, such as speech and movement so that surgeons can avoid injuring these locations during surgery.
- Positron emission tomography. During a PET scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected at a low dose into a vein to help show the brain's metabolic activity and detect abnormalities. The areas of the brain with low metabolism indicate where seizures occur.
- Single-photon computed tomography (SPECT). This type of test is primarily used if you've had MRI and EEG scans but they didn't indicate where the seizures started in the brain.
During a SPECT scan, a small amount of radioactive material is injected at a low dose into a vein to create a detailed 3-D map of your brain's blood flow activity during a seizure. The areas of the brain where blood flow is higher than normal.
Doctors may also perform a form of a single-photon CT test called subtraction CT of the seizure recorded with an MRI, which gives more detailed results by overlapping the results of the single-photon CT of the brain with the results of the patient's MRI.
- Neuropsychological tests. In these tests, your doctor evaluates your thinking, memory, and speech skills. Test results help doctors determine which areas of your brain are affected.
Along with your test results, your doctor may use a combination of analysis techniques to help determine where in the brain the seizures begin:
- Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM). Statistical parametric mapping is a way of comparing areas of the brain with increased blood flow during seizures with normal, uninjured brains, which can give clinicians an idea of where seizures begin.
- Electrical source imaging (ESI). Electromyography is a technique of taking EEG data and presenting it to an MRI of the brain to show doctors where seizures are occurring.
- Magnetic EEG (MEG). Magnetic EEG measures magnetic fields generated by brain activity to identify areas where seizures are likely to occur.
An accurate diagnosis of the type of seizure and where it began gives you the best chance of finding an effective treatment.
Epilepsy treatment.
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| Epilepsy treatment. |
Doctors usually start treating epilepsy with medication. If medications don't cure the condition, doctors may suggest surgery or another type of treatment.
Medicine
provide satisfactory results, your doctor may suggest surgery or other treatments. You will have regular follow-up appointments with your doctor to assess your condition and medications.
surgery.
When medications don't adequately control seizures, surgery may be an option. The surgeon removes the area of the brain that's causing the seizures with epilepsy surgery.
- Seizures appear in a small, specific area of the brain
- The area in the brain that is undergoing surgery does not interfere with vital functions such as speech, language, motor functions, vision, or hearing
For some types of epilepsy, minimally invasive procedures such as MRI-guided stereotaxic laser ablation may offer effective treatment when open surgery is too risky. In these procedures, doctors direct a thermal laser beam at the seizure-causing area of the brain to destroy that tissue to better control the seizures.
Although many people continue to take certain medications to help prevent seizures after successful surgery, you may be able to take fewer medications and in lower doses.
In a small number of cases, epilepsy surgery may cause complications such as permanently affecting thinking (cognitive) abilities. Talk to your surgeon about his or her experiences, success rates, and difficulty levels for the procedure you're considering.
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