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- General
Knowledge
What
is epilepsy?
Epilepsy
is not a disease or a mental illness. Rather, it is a symptom
originating in the brain. Brain cells communicate with each
other by means of tiny bursts of electrical activity. Sometimes
a group of brain cells has an unexpected, erratic electrical
discharge. This event produces a seizure. Someone who
has multiple seizures is said to have epilepsy, which
is defined as a functional disorder of the brain caused by sudden,
brief malfunctions. These malfunctions may cause uncontrollable
shaking (convulsions). They may also cause loss of awareness,
confusion or even disturbance of the senses (visual and aural
hallucinations, phantom odors, etc.).
Epilepsy:
is NOT a disease; is NOT a psychological disorder; is NOT contagious
- What
causes epilepsy?
Malfunction
of brain activity begins with an injury, or insult. When
brain cells are injured, by whatever cause (brain trauma, stroke,
head trauma or brain tumors, for example), they respond in one
of two ways. They may quit functioning altogether, as in the
paralysis associated with stroke; or they may "overfunction,"
producing convulsion. Anyone, at any age, can have an epileptic
seizure, if the brain is influenced sufficiently by genetic
predisposition, injury or disease.
- Types
of Seizures
There are many different kinds of seizures. Two main types
are "partial" and "generalized."
Partial Seizures: If the excessive electrical discharge
in the brain is limited to one area, the seizure is partial. Partial
seizures take two different forms: simple partial and complex
partial.
In a simple partial seizure, the person can experience
a range of strange or unusual sensations, e.g. sudden jerky movements
of one body part, distortions in sight or smell, sudden sense
of fear, stomach discomfort, dizziness. These sensations are also
known as an "aura." An aura is a simple partial seizure
and can occur alone, or can be followed by a generalized seizure.
In a complex partial seizure, the person loses awareness
as the seizure begins and appears dazed and confused. The person
will exhibit meaningless behaviours such as random walking, mumbling,
head turning, or pulling at clothing. These behaiours cannot be
recalled by the paitient after the seizure.
Generalized
Seizures: Generalized seizures affect the whole body and
take two forms: generalized absence and tonic-clonic.
During a generalized absence seizure, the person appears
to be staring into space and their eyes may roll upwards. This
kind of seizure is characterized by 5 to 15 second lapses of
consciousness and when it has ended, the person will not recall
this lapse of consciousness. Generalized absence seizures most
often occur in childhood and disappear by adolescence. They
are less prevalent in adulthood.
In a tonic-clonic seizure, the person will usually emit a short
cry, and fall to the floor. Their muscles will stiffen and their
body extremities will jerk and twitch. With this type of seizure
bladder control may be lost and consciousness is regained slowly.
Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy(SUDEP): Although
the exact cause of the syndrome is unknown, it appears to be
linked to unhealthy lifestyle choices such as skipping medication,
alcohol consumption, and lack of adequate sleep and nutrition.
It most often strikes those between 20 and 40 years of age who
have experienced seizures for more than a year. Death that is
unrelated to a seizure and has no obvious explanation
accounts for 12 to 15% of sudden deaths among people with epilepsy.
Postictal States: Postictal states commonly follow both
tonic-clonic and complex partial seizures. As a person regains
consciousness after the seizure, they experience fatigue, confusion
and disorientation lasting from five minutes, up to hours or
even days and, rarely, as long as one to two weeks. The person
may fall asleep or gradually become less confused until full
consciousness is regained.
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