Epilepsy: symptoms, causes and treatment methods
Overview:
Epilepsy is considered one of the most prevalent neurological diseases in the world, and three-quarters of people with epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries suffer from a lack of attention and sufficient awareness to deal with the disease.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a chronic disorder that affects the brain due to an impairment in the communication of electrical signals in the brain cells.
It causes seizures of involuntary movements in a part of the body or the whole body. It is with the inability to control the bladder and intestines and loss of consciousness.
The seizure may happen every year. Or it may happen more than once a time on the same day. In addition, we also found out that 10% of patients suffer from it.
Causes:
It is caused by various factors, such as:
Prenatal injuries:
Because of lack of oxygen and low weight of the baby and infants during childbirth. They are among the most factors that cause epilepsy.
- Congenital and hereditary brain anomalies
- brain tumors
- Infections such as meningitis.
Symptoms
Many symptoms and signs can appear in a patient with epilepsy, which requires a quick visit to a doctor, and these symptoms include:
- Involuntary movements of the arms and legs
- Temporary loss of consciousness
- Psychological symptoms such as fear and anxiety
- Physical problems, such as fractures and bruises, as a result of seizures
- Hearing and taste disorders
Epilepsy treatment:
Did you know 70% of patients with epilepsy are fully treated using anti-epileptic drugs which we advise not to deal with or take doses of, except after consulting a specialized doctor? And very rarely the doctor resorts to surgical intervention if the drugs fail to control the seizures and treat the disease.
When should I see a doctor?
We recommend visiting a neurologist in the case of finding any of the symptoms of epilepsy that we talked about, and in emergency cases, if the epilepsy patient suffers from:
- fever
- Diabetes
- The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes
- If the patient is pregnant
- If the period between the seizure and the second is short.
The psychological side of the epileptic patient:
Epilepsy influences the mental state of the patient significantly, to the extent that some of the convulsions that the epileptic patient suffers from are psychological in origin, not organic in origin, and this indicates the high degree of anxiety, tension, and psychological pressures that the patient suffers from. That is why it is necessary for the epilepsy treatment period that we take We considered psychological treatment, which is no less important in this period than the importance of treating the disease itself.
That’s why we recommend visiting a psychiatrist and advising those around the epilepsy patient to provide all the necessary support so that he can pass from this period in good mental health.
Despite the progress of science and treatment, epilepsy treatment is no longer impossible, there are many patients, who are fully treated and whose seizures are controlled.
Request an appointment if you want to speak to a neurologist by CliniDo
CliniDo wishes you all a life full of health and happiness!
