What is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological condition affecting people of all ages. Today there is estimated to be about 350, 000 people with epilepsy. The condition occurs in all ages, races and social classes. Most cases develop during infancy or by late adolescence.
Yet today the degree of epilepsy is not fully understood. Researchers say the fallowing are leading causes of the condition; damage to blood vessels, inherited, trauma, tumors, degeneration, infections, and unknown reasons. Seizures are caused when two or more cells in the brain miss communicate. There are two ways this could happen. One is excitatory and the other is inhibitory. Excitatory messages enhance the cells activity whereas inhibitory messages dampen it.
When the inhibitory pathways are removed the cells become over excitable and fire incorrectly. As the nerves of the brain are connected in complex patterns this can lead to a number of cells exhibiting inappropriate behavior. The outcome of these abnormal circuits are very varied, depending on the region of the brain they affect, hence the multitude of epileptic syndromes. There are a number of different types of seizures.
Two of them are: Generalized Seizures; These seizures involve the entire brain and there is loss of consciousness. There are various subclasses of Generalized seizures. Partial Seizures; In Partial Seizures the disturbance in brain activity begins in a localized region. These are also known as focal seizures. Although epilepsy is not completely understood there are ways to treat it and lower the chances of having a seizure. Most of the drugs used in treating epilepsy today were discovered to have anti-epileptic properties by chance.
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However there is now a more systematic search for new AED’s under way, based on research progress in understanding how neurons talk to each other and an increasing knowledge of the structure and function of neuronal membranes. Which drugs used, are chosen by a doctor. The ways a doctor would choose which type of drug the patient need would go as fallowed and in order. 1) The type of epilepsy 2) Possible side effects 3) Anticipation of pregnancy 4) Other medication After interviewing a victim of the condition whom happens to be my younger brother, I got a better understanding of what was really happening. He said quote, “When I first started having seizures, every two or three weeks, I would get this feeling like someone was behind me or I’d feel as if I knew I was forgetting something.
These episodes would last between 15 seconds and two or three minutes. They would happen on and off for a day or two. The first one that my mom noticed was when I was in the 6 th grade. My father witnessed another one of these episodes while we were in the car. He tells me that I suddenly turn my head, fidget with my hands, and repeat a few words over and over, but all I know is that when I’ve had a seizure I don’t understand what people are saying to me. When we finally saw a neurologist, he diagnosed complex partial seizures.
We tried all types of medicine: Tegretol, Dilantin, Neurontin, and Gabitril. Currently I am on Lamictal and Kep pra, which are working right now.” Epilepsy is a common serious neurological condition that could happen to anyone. Now that it is more clear what epilepsy is, it will be easier to accept it and understand what is happening during an attack.
