The main symptom of epilepsy is recurrent seizures, but there are other signs and symptoms that may hint at epilepsy. These are: Abnormal twitching of one side of the body Briefly unresponsive behaviours. Sudden unexplained stiffening. Sudden chewing or blinking. Repetitive body movement that appears abnormal. A sudden fall for no reason Any repetitive confusional state Brief abnormal movements during sleep Sudden jerking of hands with dropping of objectsDFDAFF
There can be various causes that can lead to epilepsy: Brain injury causing scar in the brain Brain infections Brain tumor Stroke or any bleeding in the brain Brain abnormality by birth Brain injury during delivery of the baby Genetic factors in some cases
The first step of diagnosis is a basic physical examination to understand the symptoms, family history, medical history, and an understanding of the overall health of the person. , the doctor may carry out three types of diagnosis to know the exact cause and choose the best treatment course. These are idiopathic, cryptogenic and symptomatic. The tests to diagnose epilepsy include: EEG (electroencephalogram) test Video EEG MRI brain (Epilepsy Protocol)
Medical treatment- Medical treatment mainly included various medicines for epilepsy. Majority of the patients can be treated easily with single type of medicine. These drugs are safe and can be used for a long-term without much of risk to kidney, liver or any other part of the body. Some of the patients may not respond to one drug and may need trial of 2-3 drugs. However if seizures are frequent despite trial of 2-3medicines then we need to do video EEG and consider for epilepsy surgery Surgery- Surgery for epilepsy is required in selected cases where there is no response to medications. It’s a highly specialised surgery done at selected centres only. Surgery is very successful in majority of the carefully selected patients with very negligible risk. Medical Procedure The doctor may prescribe you certain preventive drugs and antiepileptic drugs. A special diet Ketogenic diet that is high in fats and low in carbohydrates is preferred for small children who do not respond to medical therapy. Vagus nerve stimulation In it, a device that electronically stimulates the vagus nerve is implanted under the skin to control seizures. Vagus nerve communicates between the brain and other internal organs. Trigeminal nerve stimulation It is a new medical treatment that involves stimulation of the trigeminal nerve. The nerve is the communication link between important parts of the brain such as nucleus solitarius, the locus coeruleus, the vagus nerve, and the cerebral cortex.
Certain points can be taken care of to prevent the occurrence of epilepsy seizures: Manage your stress levels. Get proper sleep. Adhere to safety rules so as to minimise injury to head. Eat a healthy diet. Avoid drugs and alcohol.
Rama Hospital in Hapur-Delhi 78-7777-5530
Rama Hospital in Lakhanpur 78-7777-8802
Rama Hospital in Mandhana 78-7777-5502
Our representatives are available Monday through Sunday, from 8 a.m to 8 p.m IST, Except for holidays