Understanding epilepsy
You may not know much about epilepsy, but this neurological disorder is known for triggering seizures. These seizures cause sudden and involuntary changes in the way your brain works, your muscles move, your body functions, and your feelings flow. While not every seizure signals a case of epilepsy, every person with epilepsy is more likely to have these sudden and scary seizures than people without the disorder. And, it all begins in the brain. Discover the basics of this long-term brain disorder, along with the frequency of the condition, the reasons why it occurs, the risks, and the symptoms that should spark concern. Then, learn about the most effective treatments to get uncontrollable seizures under control.
Wrap your head around epilepsy
Your brain is in charge of most, if not all, processes in your body. Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that begins in your brain and affects its electrical activity. Each second, the cells in your brain send out electrical signals to communicate and collaborate with every muscle, organ, and reaction in your body. However, when your brain sends a sudden surge of electrical activity at a faster than normal speed, this overload of electrical signals causes a seizure. The result is a burst of unintentional movements, behaviors, perceptions, and emotions. While epilepsy is often called a “seizure disorder,” simply having a seizure isn’t necessarily a sign of epilepsy and may signal some other condition.
Keep the frequency of epilepsy in mind
Epilepsy affects more people than you think. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), nearly 3 million adults and about 500,000 children have epilepsy in the United States. Worldwide, more than 50 million individuals suffer from this brain disorder. In fact, epilepsy is the fourth most common disorder around the globe.
Consider the causes and your risk
Epilepsy can develop in anyone and at any age, but certain people are more susceptible to these seizures, including children younger than one year old and adults over age 55. The risk also rises for people with a family history of epilepsy or seizures during childhood, as well as individuals who suffer a stroke or head injury, and those with dementia. Just as epilepsy differs from person to person, different cases have different causes. Yet up to half of those with epilepsy don’t know the cause at all. For many others, surges of seizures have been traced to several sources. The most common causes of epilepsy include:
- Infections
- Stroke
- Traumatic brain injury
- Head trauma
- Brain tumor
- Developmental conditions, such as autism and Down’s syndrome
- Genetic variations
Symptoms sparked by epilepsy
Frequent seizures aren’t the only signs of epilepsy. While the media portrays seizures as attacks of violent shaking, quaking, and loss of awareness—and that’s certainly one kind—there are actually many types of seizures with symptoms that vary based on their location in the brain and where they have spread. Contact your SignatureMD-affiliated doctor right away if you or a loved one experience any of these common signs of epileptic distress, including:
- Confusion
- Abnormal eye movements
- Staring into space
- Making strange, jerking movements
- Wandering aimlessly
- Struggling to answer questions
- Changes in emotions or behaviors
Taking control of treatment
Epilepsy is a lifelong disorder and while there isn’t a cure, there is control. Today, new developments in epilepsy treatment have led to a variety of options that allow you to manage and control seizures to ease your mind and improve your quality of life. There are many treatments and approaches available to control seizures, which your SignatureMD-affiliated doctor may recommend based on the type of epilepsy you have and your general health. The most effective treatments include the following:
- Medication – Usually, the first treatment administered is anti-seizure medications to control seizures. Finding the ideal medicine can take time and you may need a combination. These remedies tend to be successful for nearly 70% of people. For those who can’t take or don’t respond to medication, there are several other treatment options.
- Dietary therapy – Maintaining a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet can help control seizures for people with certain types of epilepsy.
- Special devices – Neurostimulation devices that send electrical stimulation to the brain may help decrease the frequency of seizures.
- Surgery – This is only considered after several medications and lifestyle changes have not been effective for controlling seizures.
Hopefully, understanding this common brain disorder can give you some peace of mind about epilepsy.