What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a condition that causes the sufferer to have seizures. A seizure is caused by electrical activity that disrupts the brain waves. There are different types of epilepsy--the types are all related and all are characterized by the recurrent seizures.

History

• Epilepsy has been around since before the earliest writings--since the human species came about. The earliest writing of epilepsy was by Hippocrates in 400 B.C.: "It is thus with regard to the disease called Sacred: it appears to me to be nowise more divine nor more sacred than other diseases, but has a natural cause like other affections."

Misconceptions

• Not all seizures are the result of epilepsy. While epilepsy affects up to 1 percent of the population, up to 9 percent of Americans will suffer a seizure during their lifetime. Pseudoseizures are nonepileptic seizures usually caused by stress. Provoked seizures happens when the patient suffers trauma, hypoglycemia, high fever, low blood sodium or as a withdrawal symptom from drugs or alcohol.

Types

• There are four types of epilepsy:
  1. Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy: There is often a family history of epilepsy. Though it usually shows up during childhood or adolescence, it is often not diagnosed until adulthood. The brain looks normal when looked at via a magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI scan. The electroencephalogram, or EEG, may show the abnormal electrical pulses seen in the brain in epileptic patients. Patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy may exhibit sudden and short-term extremity jerking, referred to as myoclonic seizures, staring spells, called absence seizures, or grand mal seizures, known as generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
  2. Idiopathic Partial Epilepsies: This type of epilepsy generally shows up in children ages 5 to 8. There may be a family history of epilepsy. It is a mild epilepsy, and the child usually outgrows it by the time she hits puberty. The seizures usually happen while the child is sleeping and can be just partial motor seizures, involving the faces, or grand mal seizures.
  3. Symptomatic Generalized Epilepsy: This type of seizure is caused by extensive brain damage, including injury during birth. Patients who suffer from this type of epilepsy often have other neurological problems such as mental retardation or cerebral palsy. Brain diseases, such as adrenoleukodystrophy, can also cause a patient to have symptomatic generalized epilepsy, as can brain infections such as meningitis and encephalitis. The types of seizures usually seen with this type of epilepsy include myoclonic, tonic, generalized tonic-clonic, absence seizures and atonic seizures.
  4. Symptomatic Partial Epilepsy: This type of epilepsy begins in adulthood and is the most common type of epilepsy. It can be caused by tumors, congenital brain abnormality, strokes, tumors, cysts, infections or scarring of the brain tissue. Since the brain abnormalities are microscopic, they are very difficult to see on an MRI. It can be controlled with medications, but if medications do not work, brain surgery can removed the scarred portion of the brain, stopping the seizures.

Prevention/Solution

• Medications such as phenobarbitol are often used to control epileptic seizures. In most cases, the patient must stay on the medication his entire life, unless the seizure is idiopathic partial. If the medication does not reduce or stop the seizures, the patient may be a candidate for brain surgery.

Effects

• Epilepsy may affect a person's ability to drive or work certain jobs, as could the medication to treat it. In some states, an epileptic cannot drive until five years have passed since the last seizure.