2. INTRODUCTION
• Epilepsy is a neurological condition, which affects the nervous system. Epilepsy is
also known as a seizure disorder. It is usually diagnosed after a person has had at
least two seizures that were not caused by some known medical condition like
alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar. According to the International
League Against Epilepsy, epilepsy can be diagnosed after one seizure, if a person
has a condition that places them at high risk for having another.
• The seizures in epilepsy may be related to a brain injury or a family tendency, but
most of the time the cause is unknown. The word "epilepsy" does not indicate
anything about the cause of the person's seizures, what type they are, or how
severe they are.
3. CAUSE OF EPILEPSY
There is a fine balance in the
brain between factors that
begin electrical activity and
factors that restrict it, and there
are also systems that limit the
spread of electrical activity.
During a seizure, these limits
break down, and abnormal
electrical discharges can occur
and spread to whole groups of
neighboring cells at once. This
linkage of electrical discharges
creates a "storm" of electrical
activity in the brain. This is a
seizure. When a person has had
at least two of these seizures,
that's called epilepsy.
4. VICTIMS OF EPILEPSY
Epilepsy can develop in any
person at any age. 0.5% to 2%
of people will develop
epilepsy during their lifetime.
People with certain conditions
may be at greater risk. About
2.7 million Americans have
been treated for epilepsy in
the past 5 years. That's 8 or 9
out of every 1,000 people. In
other words, out of 60,000
people filling a big
stadium, about 500 have
epilepsy. More men than
women have epilepsy .
5. THE TIME PEOPLE ARE
MOST LIKELY TO GET
EPILEPSY
New cases of epilepsy are
most common among
children, especially during
the first year of life. The rate
of new cases gradually
declines until about age
10, and then becomes stable.
After age 55 or 60, the rate
starts to increase, as people
develop strokes, brain
tumors, or Alzheimer's
disease. (All of these
disorders can cause epilepsy.)
6. FACTS ABOUT EPILEPSY
• Up to 5% of the world’s population may have a single seizure at some time
in their lives.
• It is likely that around 60 million people in the world have epilepsy at any
one time.
• Children and adolescents are more likely to have epilepsy of unknown or
genetic origin than adults.
• Epilepsy can start at any age.
• Recent studies show that seizures in up to 70% of children and adults with
newly diagnosed epilepsy can be controlled with medications;
however, many of these people experience treatment-related side effects.
• Seizures in up to 30% of people with epilepsy do not respond to available
medications.
7. THE START OF EPILEPSY
• The reasons why epilepsy begins are different for people of different ages. But
what's true for every age is that the cause is unknown for about half of everyone
with epilepsy.
• Children may be born with a defect in the structure of their brain, or they may
suffer a head injury or infection that causes their epilepsy. Severe head injury is
the most common known cause in young adults. In middle
age, strokes, tumors, and injuries are more frequent. In people over 65, stroke is
the most common known cause, followed by degenerative conditions such as
Alzheimer's disease.
The reason why it sometimes take years before someone with a brain
injury experiences a seizure
• Often seizures do not begin immediately after a person has an injury to the brain.
Instead, a seizure may happen many months later. We do not have a good
explanation for this common observation, but scientists are actively researching
this subject
8. EPILEPSY- INHERITED
OR NOT
It may seem obvious that
heredity (genetics) plays an
important role in many cases of
epilepsy in very young children,
but it can be a factor for people
of any age. For instance, not
everyone who has a serious head
injury (a clear cause of seizures)
will develop epilepsy. Those who
do develop epilepsy are more
likely to have a history of seizures
in their family. This family history
suggests that it is easier for them
to develop epilepsy than for
others with no genetic
predisposition.
9. TYPES OF EPILEPSY
Epilepsy syndromes are defined by a cluster
• When a disorder is defined by of features. These features may include :
a characteristic group of
• The type or types of seizures
features that usually occur
together, it is called a • The age at which the seizures begin
syndrome. These features • The causes of the seizures
may include symptoms, which • Whether the seizures are inherited
are problems that the patient
• The part of the brain involved
will notice. They also may
include signs, which are • Factors that provoke seizures
things that the doctor will • How severe and how frequent the seizures are
find during the examination • A pattern of seizures by time of day
or with laboratory tests.
• Certain patterns on the EEG, during seizures
Doctors and other health care and between seizures
professionals often use
• Other disorders in addition to seizures
syndromes to describe a
patient's epilepsy. • The prospects for recovery or worsening
10. *Not every syndrome will be defined by all these features, but most
syndromes will be defined by a number of them. Classifying a patient's
epilepsy as belonging to a certain syndrome often provides information
on what medications or other treatments will be most helpful. It also
may help the doctor to predict whether the seizures will go into
remission (lessen or disappear).
*CONTINUATION TO TYPES OF EPILEPSY
11. SLEEP AND EPILEPSY
• We all know that we think more clearly, react more quickly, and generally
perform better after a good night's sleep. And while a good night’s sleep plays a
key role in the overall well-being and health of all people it is even more vital in
people with epilepsy. One reason why is because a lack of sleep or poor quality
of sleep can in turn increase frequency of seizures. The reasons why sleep
deprivation provokes seizures are unclear. However, what we do know is that the
sleep-wake cycle is associated with prominent changes in brain electrical
activity, so seizures and the sleep-wake cycle are often clearly related. We also
know that most types of seizures are affected by sleep, although the degree
varies greatly from type to type and patient to patient. Further, there are
hormonal changes during sleep that could possibly be related to seizures.
Finally, the effects of seizures and seizure medicines on the quality of your sleep
can make the relationship even more complicated.
12. EPILEPSY MEDICATIONS
Medicines to prevent epileptic seizures
are called antiepileptic.
Taking only one antiepileptic medicine
prevents seizures in up to 7 out of 10
people who have partial seizures. About 8
out of 10 people have complete seizure
control when they take more than one
antiepileptic medicine.2 Although many
people experience side effects, medicine
is still the best way to prevent epileptic
seizures. The benefits of treatment with
medicine usually outweigh the
drawbacks.
There are many antiepileptic medicines
(called AEDs, anticonvulsants, or anti-
seizure medicines). But they do not all
treat the same types of seizures. The first
step your doctor takes in choosing a
medicine to treat your seizures is to
identify the types of seizures you have.
13. Although epilepsy is a condition that causes repeated seizures, it is
quiet common. Seizures may cause problems with muscle
control, movement, speech, vision, or awareness. They usually don't last
very long, but they can be scary. The good news is that with the help of
our advanced treatment, we can control and reduce seizures.
