Anyone here have anything to say about epilepsy?
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I'm not technically an expert either, but I have about 10 years of personal experience on the topic.
No, epilepsy is not contagious. It can have physical causes (tumors, growth on the brain, getting smacked on the head) but often has no obvious cause.
Epilepsy can show up at any age. It is often first diagnosed in infants and teenagers though.
Epilepsy is sometimes genetic. Some condition that cause seizures are hereditary, but otherwise a parent with epilepsy might increases the risk of a child having it by maybe 20%. The chance is smaller if it is the father that has epilepsy.
It can be hard to diagnose because there are several different kinds. Some people have tonic-clonic or "grand-mal" seizure where they fall to the ground and have convulsions. Some people simply stare into space for a few seconds and then snap right out of it.
Umm . . . what else? Look at some of the sites below for more.
I am not an expert, but when I was working as a nurse I had a special interest in it and used to teach student nurses about it.
Yes theres lots of misinformation, ignorance and myths. Like a lot of illnesses that the general public have limited information on it can cause problems for sufferers.
Its a very disabling condition for some people but most people are amenable to drug treatment (although it may take some trial and error to get there) and there are very few people who cannot be helped in some way to lead a full and rewarding life.
I had it and it is something that is different in each person who does have it .
Hi, I'm not an expert, but my son has epilepsy so I do know a bit about it. Epilepsy is a spectrum style neurolgical condition, which effects each person differently. There are many types of seizures which require different types of medicine to treat them, so different people are on different medications for different seizures. Some people only have a few sxs and their epilepsy is well controlled with medication, others have lots of sxs which can be difficult to control even with multiple meds. Most people live normal lives, but others suffer brain damage. Medical help should be sought for anyone who has a seizure , and immediately if it doesn't stop after 5 minutes.
Epilepsy is a nervous system disorder that produces sudden,intense bursts of electrical activity in the brain. This abnormal electrical activity in the brain causes seizures, which may briefly upset a person's muscle control, movement, speech, vision, or awareness. People with epilepsy have repeated seizures that usually occur without warning and often, for no clear reason. Treatment, most often, requires medication. There are two basic types of seizures caused by epilepsy.
1) Generalized seizures: they begin over the entire surface of the brain and may affect the entire body. In people who have generalized seizures, it is impossible to pinpoint a specific location in the brain that is the source of the seizure.
2) Partial seizures: they begin in a specific location in the brain.Partial seizures, may affect awareness or only one side or part of the body but, it can become a generalized seizure to affect the entire body.
The difference is important, because partial seizures and generalized seizures are often treated differently.
Children are more likely than adults to develop epilepsy from an unknown cause ( idiopathic epilepsy). A family history of epilepsy may sometimes be a factor. There are several conditions that can cause epilepsy by damaging the brain:
Head injury
Stoke
Hardening of the arteries in the brain (atherosclerosis)
Brain tumor
Brain infection ( meningitis or encephalitis)
Alzheimer's Disease
Alcohol or drug abuse ( or withdrawal).
The most useful test to confirm epilepsy: EEG (records the electrical activity in the brain). MRI : May be used to evaluate the cause and location of a possible source of epilepsy in the brain. A correct diagnosis is vital to finding a treatment that works.
Medications:
Tegretol,Carbatrol ( carabamazepine), Zarontin (Ethosuximide), Lamictal ( Oxcarbazepine), Dilantin, Phenytek( Phenytoin), Depakene,Depakote( Valproic acid or divalproex sodium). Brain Surgery is another method of treatment for some forms of epilepsy. Some people do not respond to medication but, have great success with surgery.
I hope that this helps and Good Luck to who is the person that is suffering from this.
Onlyest thing I know is what I hear and read. If it's an ailment that you have to deal with my heart go's out to ya dude. Best of luck with your research.
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