Epilepsy

Understanding

Epilepsy or epilepsy is a condition that causes the sufferer to experience seizures repeatedly. Approximately 50 million people from the world population are epilepsy patients. Data taken from WHO records show that the annual growth of epilepsy sufferers reached 2.4 million people. Nearly 80 percent of epilepsy patients live in countries with low and middle income per capita.
The effectiveness rate of epilepsy treatment in a patient is 70 percent. The rate is quite high, but 75 percent of epileptic people living in low-income and middle-income countries perceive themselves not getting the treatment they need.
 
Epilepticus Status
The status of epilepticus is a condition where epileptic patients experience seizures for more than 30 minutes or have a series of short seizures. When that happens, the sufferer will usually be in an unconscious state. It takes immediate action to deal with it, because the status of epilepticus can cause permanent brain damage-even death.

 

Diagnosis

A new person may be suspected of having an epileptic condition if it has experienced more than one seizure. Doctors will collect facts about the characteristics of seizures experienced by patients. The patient should have a record of the seizure characteristics experienced, based on information from people who saw the incidence of the patient's seizures.
In addition, the doctor will ask about the patient's health history, lifestyle, and medications that may be consumed by the patient. If the information collected is not enough to make the diagnosis, the doctor may perform other methods of examination, such as:

• Electroencephalogram or EEG. This is a common examination performed to diagnose epilepsy. This check is performed to determine electrical activity in the brain, including in case of interference.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). This examination uses radio waves and magnetic fields to obtain detailed images of the brain. Thus, doctors can detect existing conditions in the brain, such as tumors or disabilities, which can lead to seizures.

 

Symptoms

The main symptoms of epilepsy are more than one or more frequent seizures. The characteristics of seizures depend on the part of the brain that is disturbed first. Although the characteristics vary, most patients experience recurrent seizures of the same pattern.
Based on the disorder of the brain, epilepsy is divided into two, namely partial and general.
 
Partial seizures In partial or focal seizures, the disorder is experienced only in some parts of the brain. Partial seizures are subdivided into two types:
1. Simple partial seizures At the time of a simple partial seizure, the patient does not lose consciousness. The symptoms of a simple partial seizure are:

• There are uncomfortable feelings that are difficult to describe.
• The sufferer feels that he is in the same situation (déjà vu).
• Patients feel the sensation of tension in the stomach, like being riding exciting rides in the amusement park.
• Tingling on hands and feet.
• Savor the flavor or inhale the unusual aroma.
• The limbs feel stiff or just jerk.

The above symptoms are known as warning signals. This signal arises to warn the patient that a seizure will occur, so that the patient can alert him or move to a safer location.
In a simple partial seizure, the part of the body experiencing a seizure depends on which part of the brain is impaired. So, seizures do not just happen on the hands or feet. In fact, there are patients who do not experience physical seizures but experienced psychic seizures. For example, feel very excited or scared suddenly.
2. Complex partial seizures When experiencing a complex partial seizure, the patient will experience loss of consciousness. Patients also can not remember the seizures that occur. The symptoms of complex partial seizures are:

• Rubbing hands.
• Make strange noises.
• Move hands uncontrollably.
• Groping clothes repeatedly.
• Repeatedly performs chewing or swallowing movements.

3. General Seizures In generalized seizures, symptoms occur throughout the body and are caused by disorders that affect the entire brain. Some common seizure symptoms that usually occur, namely:

• Tonic seizures. Causes muscle to become stiff. Usually occurs in the back muscles, legs, and arms so that vulnerable people fall and injury.
• Atypical spasm. Causes muscle tension and the patient falls.
• Clonic seizures. Muscle movement jerked and repeated, usually attacking the neck muscles, face, and arms.
• Tonic-clonic seizures. Patients experience a complete seizure until unconscious while wetting or biting the tongue.
• Myoclonic seizures. Short jerking muscle movements, or muscles of arms and legs twitching.
• Absence seizures or petite mall. Generally experienced by children. Missing consciousness for a few seconds or gesturing lips with blank views.

 

Treatment

Most epilepsy can not be cured. However, patients can take drugs to prevent seizures. The most common medicine prescribed by a doctor is antiepileptic drugs (OAE). OAE has been shown to be effective because epilepsy can dramatically decrease the seizure frequency.
The doctor will consider the age, condition, and frequency of seizures experienced by the patient in determining the type of OAE to be administered. OAE administered can be adapted to medications that may be consumed by the patient to treat other diseases, so that their performance does not intersect. OAE should be taken regularly.
Side effects of OAE, among others:

• Sleepy
• Headache
• Difficult to concentrate
• Bone density is reduced
• Rashes appear on the skin
• Fatigue
• Inflammation of organs
• Feeling depressed
• Arise of suicidal desire

If after taking OAE, patients experience mood swings, depression, or appearing suicidal, immediately consult a doctor.
 
Brain Surgery If OAE is not effective in reducing seizures, your doctor may advise brain surgery. Brain surgery is performed to remove the part of the brain that produces seizures. This action may not completely eliminate the seizures, but the patient will be able to consume less OAE or in small doses.
Brain surgery has no effect on vital functions, such as speech, language ability, motor function, vision or hearing. Nevertheless, surgical risk persists, namely memory problems and postoperative stroke. For that, it is better for the patient to discuss with the doctor about the profit and loss of this action-if indeed this method is recommended.
 
Live with Epilepsy Epilepsy affects the life of the sufferer differently. However, there are several steps that can be done so that patients can undergo regularity with normal, among others:

• Know the trigger seizures. The more you know about the trigger seizures and how to avoid them, the seizures will be more controlled.
• Consume drugs regularly. OAE is effective in treating epilepsy in 70 percent of patients. Discuss with your doctor a treatment plan that suits your condition.
• Perform routine checks. We recommend that you have a special timetable for checking.
• Self-care. Apply a healthy lifestyle by eating nutritious foods, exercising regularly, and avoiding alcoholic beverages. Discuss with your doctor about the diet that suits your condition.

 

Cause

Based on the cause, there are two types of epilepsy, namely idiopathic and symptomatic epilepsy. Epidepsy idiopathic is a type of epilepsy whose cause is unknown. There are allegations that this condition is caused by hereditary factors. Most cases of epilepsy are idiopathic epilepsy.
In contrast to idiopathic epilepsy, symptomatic epilepsy is a condition of epilepsy whose cause is known. Some conditions that can cause symptomatic epilepsy, namely:

• Cerebrovascular disease (problems in the blood vessels of the brain), such as stroke.
• Brain tumor.
• Severe head injury.
• Drug abuse.
• Addictions to alcoholic beverages.
• Brain infections, such as meningitis.
• Growth of some parts of the brain is disrupted.
• Problems arising at the time of delivery, such as a baby choked the umbilical cord so that had experienced lack of oxygen.

 
Triggers Occurrence Seizures For many people with epilepsy, seizures can occur without a clear trigger. However, there are several factors that can be categorized as triggers of seizures, namely:

• Stress.
• Lack of sleep.
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Drug abuse.
• Menstruation.
• See lights or blinking lights. A rare case, only five percent of epilepsy sufferers have this epilepsy photosensitive condition.

Copy X