Facts on Epilepsy

According to the Epilepsy Foundation, nearly 3 million Americans suffer from epilepsy and seizures each year. In 70 percent of these cases, there is no distinguishable cause. Epilepsy is most commonly found in elderly people over 65 years old and children under the age of 2.

The Facts

• Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes seizures. These seizures happen when neurons send abnormal electrical signals inside the brain. According to the Mayo Clinic, one in 100 Americans will experience an unprovoked seizure once in their lifetime. However, just because a person has a seizure doesn't mean he has epilepsy. It takes two unprovoked seizures for an epilepsy diagnosis to be made.

Causes

• Numerous factors can contribute to the onset of epilepsy. However, there is no distinguishable cause in around half of the cases. Some of the known causes of epilepsy are: genetic influence, medical disorders, head trauma, meningitis, AIDS, dementia, prenatal injury, poisoning and developmental disorders. This is due to the fact that most of these conditions cause damage to the brain.

Symptoms

• The main symptom of epilepsy is an uncontrollable seizure, which usually produces staring spells, uncontrollable jerking of the extremities, temporary confusion and even, in some cases, a complete loss of consciousness. There are two types of seizures: generalized and partial. Generalized seizures are broken down into four categories: absence, atonic, myoclonic and tonic-clonic. Partial seizures are broken down into two categories: simple and complex.

Diagnosis

• If your doctor suspects that you have epilepsy, he will order tests to determine if there are abnormalities in the brain. These tests include neurological exams, behavioral exams, blood tests, EEG, neuropsychological tests, CT scans, MRIs, fMRIs, SPECT tests and PET scans. These tests work by monitoring brain functions and detecting abnormalities. The fMRI is usually used before surgery, and helps guide the surgeon so he doesn't injure parts of the brain that control critical functions.

Treatment

• If you are diagnosed with epilepsy, your doctor will usually prescribe anti-epileptic medication. This is the first step of treatment and usually works well for many epilepsy patients. You will generally start out with a low dosage of a single medication. If that medication doesn't control your symptoms, your doctor may increase the dosage or give you a combination of anti-epileptic drugs. According to the Mayo Clinic, half of all newly diagnosed epilepsy patients will only need to take one medication in order to control their seizures. In some cases, a more advanced treatment will be needed, such as surgery or various therapies such as vagus nerve stimulation or a ketogenic diet.