Posts Tagged ‘ epilepsy ’

Understanding Epilepsy

Friday, February 10th, 2023

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that affects over 50 million people worldwide, with the majority of cases occurring in developing countries. It is characterized by recurring seizures that are caused by sudden and excessive electrical discharges in the brain. The incidence of epilepsy is highest in children under the age of two and in individuals over the age of 65. Let us understand some of the key facts about epilepsy diagnosis and treatment in this blog.

Causes behind Epilepsy

While the exact cause of an epilepsy diagnosis is not known, some factors may increase your risk of getting diagnosed with epilepsy. These include:

  • Perinatal or congenital disorders
  • Fever/infection
  • Metabolic or chemical imbalances in the body
  • Alcohol or drugs
  • Trauma to the head or brain injury
  • Genetic factors

What are Epilepsy seizures?

Seizures involve sudden, temporary, bursts of electrical activity in the brain that may disrupt the way messages are communicated between brain cells. These electrical bursts can cause involuntary changes in the body movement or function, sensation, behavior or awareness. It is important to note that not all people with epilepsy have seizure triggers, and for those that do, triggers may differ from person to person.

Signs and symptoms

The symptoms of each seizure vary depending on where in the brain the disturbance first starts, and how far it spreads. Some temporary symptoms include loss of awareness or consciousness, and disturbances of movement, mood, sensation (including vision, hearing and taste), or other cognitive functions. Some of the most common symptoms of seizures include:

  • Staring
  • Temporary confusion
  • Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs
  • Stiffening of the body
  • Loss of consciousness or awareness
  • Breathing problems
  • Loss of bowel or bladder control
  • Appearing confused or in a daze
  • Periods of rapid eye blinking

With early diagnosis and medical intervention, about 70 percent epilepsy patients are able to successfully manage epilepsy seizures with medication and certain types of surgery.

Common seizure triggers

Managing epilepsy requires a team approach. Work closely with your neurologist and therapist to help manage your condition better. Learning as much as you can about epilepsy and your seizure triggers can help you avoid the seizures. Some of the common triggers include:

  • Missed medicine
  • Sleep deprivation
  • Stress
  • Alcohol/ drug abuse
  • Menstrual cycle
  • Flashing lights

Treatment of Epilepsy

Seizures can be controlled with timely and appropriate use of anti-seizure medicines. In certain cases, surgery might be highly beneficial to patients who respond poorly to drug treatments. Experienced specialists at our Centre for Neurosciences will help you understand epilepsy better and guide you with further treatment. It is critical to take seizure medicines each and every day as prescribed. Any irregularity may have a direct impact on seizures and the medicine may not be able to prevent seizures.

We have established a “Comprehensive Epilepsy Care Programme” for the evaluation of people with epilepsy to provide the best medical and surgical management. Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai is the first and only centre in Western India that provides state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities for epilepsy evaluation under one umbrella. The team of neurologists and neurosurgeons is committed to provide multidisciplinary care to the affected that goes beyond medication and surgery. Together as a team we aim to create awareness and remove the stigma attached to this disease. Additionally, our Support Group for Epilepsy conducts regular informative sessions to address issues related to medication, education, employment and social issues for patients and caregivers.

For more information regarding multidisciplinary Epilepsy care offered at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai, please visit our website: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_neurosciences/epilepsy.html

Living with Epilepsy

Tuesday, February 15th, 2022

In India, it is estimated that around 10 million people suffer from epilepsy, affecting roughly 1% of the population. It affects almost 50 million individuals worldwide, making it one of the most common neurological diseases. Epilepsy is a neurological illness in which the brain activity becomes aberrant, resulting in seizures or episodes of odd behaviour, feelings, and occasionally loss of consciousness. If diagnosed on time and treated correctly, up to 70% of persons with epilepsy could live seizure-free. 

People with epilepsy often experience changes in their quality of life such as limited mobility, as well as the impact on learning, employment, relationships, and social interactions. In order to live a near normal life it is important to understand how to manage epilepsy better and seek specialist medical help. The challenges of living with epilepsy may be different for children, adolescents, and seniors than for adults and each age group needs a lot of support from their family, community and medical team. Together we can all make a difference to help people overcome the challenges of epilepsy, treat epilepsy and aim to live a seizure-free.

Living with Epilepsy

Living with epilepsy means learning about the condition, getting the right medical help, being prepared for seizures and making your environment as safe as possible. Here are a few tips to live better with epilepsy:

Work

Having epilepsy does not necessarily stop someone from  working, however there will be certain limitations on basis of the nature of work. If you have seizures, you may not be able to do jobs that risk your safety or the safety of other people. 

Sports and Leisure

Most people with epilepsy can take part in sports and other leisure activities if their seizures are well controlled. However, doctors recommend avoiding swimming, water sports, or taking part in adventure sports like paragliding, parasailing, rafting, etc

School and Education

Children with epilepsy can attend regular school and also participate in school activities. You must make the child’s school and teachers aware of their condition and keep them updated about medication and seizure first-aid. Some children may need extra support and therapy to fulfil their educational requirements.

Pregnancy

Pregnancy may change the effectiveness of your medication or how your seizures occur. Some women may find that their seizures are better controlled during pregnancy, or that you have more seizures than is usual for you. It is very important to work in co-ordination with your gynaecologist and neurologist to ensure that you receive continued epilepsy care during your pregnancy. 

Children and Epilepsy

Children with an illness like epilepsy may suffer emotional problems, like low self-esteem or depression. This can also lead to feelings anger, embarrassment, frustration, etc. Here is how you can help your child:

  • Make your child aware about the disease.
  • Focus on things that they can do.
  • Educate the family about the condition.
  • Seek counselling if required.
  • Explain seizure first-aid to everyone.

Home Safety

It is important to make minor changes in your house to make it safer and convenient for people who have seizures. Here are some simple changes recommended by doctors for epilepsy patients:

  • Spot any potential dangers like sharp furniture corners, slippery floors, loose wires and take the required action.
  • Avoid use of glass tables.
  • Keep all walkways clear of obstacles.
  • Install a shower chair, non-slip mats, and grab bars to make bathing a safe experience.

Trigger of Epilepsy Seizures

The seizure triggers of one person may be radically different from those of another. Keeping a seizure diary where you note down the details will help you in the long run to identify  certain triggers and avoid them: Some of the common ones include:

  • Missed medication
  • Stress
  • Lack of sleep
  • Alcohol
  • Menstruation

Seizure first-aid: Do’s and Don’ts

There are many types of seizures. Most seizures last for only a few minutes.

What to do when someone is having a seizure:

  • Stay with the person until the seizure ends and he or she is fully awake.
  • Comfort the person and speak calmly.
  • Keep yourself and other people calm.
  • Call for medical services if needed.

What not to do when someone is having a seizure:

  • Do not hold the person down or try to restrain his or her movements.
  • Do not put anything in the person’s mouth.
  • Do not offer water or food until he or she is fully alert.

Epilepsy Treatment at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital

Concerned about a loved one suffering from epilepsy? The Comprehensive Epilepsy Care Programme is organised to provide multi-faceted and advanced epilepsy care to adults and children with epilepsy. Our Centre for Neurosciences is the first centre in Western India to be equipped with high-end diagnostic facilities and provides medical as well as surgical treatment options for simple as well as complex epilepsy cases. Our highly experienced team of neurosurgeons have performed over 200 successful epilepsy surgeries. The team also conducts regular sessions to create awareness and remove fears about epilepsy in the community. Our Support Group for Epilepsy meets regularly with epilepsy patients and addresses common social, employment, as well as educational issues for patients. Please find below our website details for further information: https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_neurosciences/epilepsy.html

Epilepsy: Signs to Watch Out for and its treatment

Sunday, February 7th, 2021

India is home to more than 1.5 crore epilepsy patients, still the disease remains unknown to many and is surrounded by many superstitions. Epilepsy occurs as a result of an abnormal electrical activity originating in the brain and is a neurological condition that requires medical intervention. Epilepsy is a serious problem in our country, however, statistics suggest that while 60% of people in urban India consult a doctor after suffering a seizure, only 10% in rural India would do so. Nearly 95% of the people with active epilepsy do not receive appropriate treatment for their condition. The lack of awareness about epilepsy, poverty, cultural beliefs, stigma, and poor access to healthcare facilities contributes to a vast treatment gap. Increased awareness, correct diagnosis and timely treatment can help many epilepsy patients live seizure-free and help improve the quality of their life.

Seizures, abnormal movements or behaviour due to unusual electrical activity in the brain, are a symptom of epilepsy. It is observed that not all people who appear to have seizures have epilepsy. Seizures need to be investigated by a neurologist to check if they are epileptic. The person may have varying degrees of symptoms depending on the type of seizure. Here are a few common warning signs of a seizure:

  • Jerking movements of the arms and legs
  • Stiffening of the body
  • Falling suddenly for no apparent reason
  • Not responding to noise or words for brief periods
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Breathing problems or breathing stops
  • Loss of bowel or bladder control
  • Appearing confused or in a haze
  • Periods of rapid eye blinking and staring

Consult your doctor to investigate the reason behind your seizure.

What triggers an Epileptic seizure?
Some people are able to identify key factors or situations that can trigger seizures, a few common triggers include:

  • Missed medication
  • Lack of sleep
  • Stress
  • Bright lights, flashing lights, or patterns
  • Caffeine, alcohol, or drugs

It is observed that a single incident doesn’t always mean something is a trigger. It’s often a combination of factors and repeated occurrence that trigger a seizure. Tracking your seizures and details around it helps your doctor adjust or change your medications or explore other treatment options.

How to deal with Seizures
Is someone around you having a seizure? Here are few tips to help that person:

  • Stay calm
  • Loosen any tight clothing especially around the neck
  • Allow the person to rest or sleep
  • Put something soft under his or her head
  • Remove sharp objects or other harmful objects around the person
  • Roll the person onto one side
  • Stay with the person till they are better, call for medical help if needed

Myths and facts about Epilepsy
There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding epilepsy disease. Some of these include:

Myth: If someone is having a seizure, you should put something into their mouth.
Fact: Never put anything in a person’s mouth who is having a seizure. This could end up hurting the person more.

Myth: You should restrain someone having a seizure.
Fact: Never hold down a person during a seizure. This may cause a bone or muscular injury.

Myth: Epilepsy is contagious.
Fact: That is not true, this disease is not infectious in nature.

Myth: People with epilepsy cannot work
Fact: If a person has epilepsy, it does not mean they have an intellectual disability or are disabled. Most people with epilepsy are not disabled and are able to have successful careers in many different professions.

Epilepsy treatment at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital
Our Centre for Neurosciences offers a Comprehensive Epilepsy Care Programme to treat adults and children with epilepsy. The team is highly trained to help diagnose and treat newly diagnosed epilepsy patients, complex epilepsy cases as well as surgical cases. Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital is the first and only centre in Western India that provides state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities for epilepsy evaluation under one umbrella. The Centre for Neurosciences is equipped with high-end technology like the 3T Magnetom trio that is highly beneficial to investigate Epilepsy. We have also successfully performed over 150 epilepsy surgeries in the past. Our Support Group For Epilepsy meets regularly and addresses various medical social and professional issues for epilepsy patients and caregivers.

Do you or a loved one need Epilepsy care? Consult experts at our Centre for Neurosciences for multidisciplinary care. For more information please visit:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_neurosciences/epilepsy.html