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Epilepsy is a brain disorder that affects millions of people. The disease strikes more men than women and most epileptics will experience their first attack before they turn 20. When this happens, the individual suffers a sudden, usually very brief seizure that is characterized by jerking of the body, confusion or changed mental state, staring episodes, loss of muscle control and sometimes loss of consciousness.
Epilepsy is most prevalent among young children and senior citizens, but anyone can be afflicted with the disease at any time during their life. References to it were recorded as far back as Babylonian times and it was Hippocrates who first theorised that epilepsy was indeed a brain disorder. Those afflicted were often shunned or charged with being possessed by demons or the devil. Many others were locked in mental institutions for the rest of their lives. Even today with the ongoing research, treatments and information available about epilepsy, it’s a disease that still baffles and frightens many people.
Epileptic attacks happen because of abnormal “wiring” within the brain. Neurons located in the brain are responsible for sending electrochemical impulses to other neurons, glands and muscles that control movement, thought, and emotion. In a normally functioning brain, neurons fire about 80 times a second. When they’re damaged, or for some reason behave in an abnormal way, the result is an epileptic seizure. Now the neurons send as many as 500 messages per second. Seizures may occur only once in while, once or twice a day, or sometimes hundreds of times a day, depending on the type of epilepsy diagnosed.
Epilepsy stems from dozens of causes: genetics, heredity, brain tumours, viral infections, head trauma from accidents or falls, alchoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, trauma during birth, strokes, heart attacks, high blood pressure, AIDS, poison or environmental conditions, nicotine from cigarette smoke, overmedicating from certain types of drugs, hormonal changes and even lack of sleep. Epilepsy is also associated with other disorders like autism, TB, and cerebral palsy. This is one reason why the disease is often difficult to diagnose, and why, for some, it remains such a confusing disease.
There are close to 30 different types of epilepsy and those afflicted suffer many different kinds of seizures. Of these there are 2 categories: partial and generalised. Partial seizures occur strictly on one side of the brain and around 60% of all epileptics suffer from them. Once an attack happens the individual usually remain conscious and experiences odd feelings, sensations, sounds, smells and sometimes auras, much the same way migraine sufferers do. During a complex partial seizure, the person will carry out a series of uncharacteristic and/or repetitious movements, or “automatisms”, and in some cases even throw things. They may even lose consciousness. The duration of these seizures is very short, usually only a few seconds. During generalised seizures the abnormal neurons are firing signals throughout the entire brain. Again there are varied kinds of generalised seizures. The most common are the “petit” and “grand mal” seizure. During a petit the body becomes stiff or makes jerking movements. During a grand mal seizure the person will lose muscle or body control, usually falls and will lose consciousness.
The best way to determine whether someone is suffering from epilepsy is to visit a doctor, discuss the symptoms and if epilepsy is suspected, submit to a series of tests since epilepsy can sometimes be confused with other disorders or illnesses. Once a doctor has taken a detailed medical history he could order a series of tests that might include behavioural tests, or neurological tests like EEG monitoring or CT or MRI scans. With children blood tests are usually taken to check for any genetic disorders, or whether some other underlying condition might be causing the symptoms.
While there is no cure for epilepsy it is being treated and controlled in various ways. For patients whose epilepsy is caused by a brain tumour, a lesion or some similar condition, surgery usually has positive results. The majority of today’s epileptics (up to 80%) are being successfully treated with anti-epileptic or anti-convulsant drugs. For the remaining 20% whose seizures can’t be controlled with drugs, surgery is sometimes an alternative, but only if the area of the brain affected does not control important speech or motor functions. In young children studies indicate that a diet rich in fat can sometimes control attacks. Research to find new drugs and treatments to control epilepsy is ongoing. Perhaps one day researchers will succeed in finding a cure for this brain disorder.
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