Epilepsy

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Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of repeated seizures, or electrical storms in the brain (AANS, n.d.).

Symptoms of Epilepsy

(CDC, n.d.)

loss of consciousness
weakness
confusion
staring into space
stiffness
uncontrollable jerking
fear and anxiety

Facts about Epilepsy

(CDC, n.d.)

about 1.2% of people in the US have active epilepsy
that's more than 3 million adults and 470, 000 children with epilepsy
epilepsy is not contagious
Epilepsy is not curable
When not controlled, this disease can be fatal

Important Vocab

(Spielman, et. al., 2020)

consciousness - our awareness of internal and external stimuli
Seizure - an electrical storm
Grand mal seizures -a seizure that affects both sides of the brain; a person may lose conscious, cry out, fall or jerk around.
Fontal lobe seizures -seizures that start in the front of the brain, may cause the person to stare or to repeat movements.
Temporal lobe seizures - the person may eel a sudden emotion and see an aura
Occipital lobe seizures -the person may have hallucinations
EEG - a test of the brain's electrical pattern used to diagnose epilepsy.

Types of Seizures

(AANS, n.d.)

Primary generalized seizures -begin with a widespread electrical storm on both sides of the brain

Partial Seizures -begin on just one small area of the brain

Seizure First Aid

(Children's Health, n.d.)

Turn the person on their side
remove any furniture or items that may cause injure
time the seizure
stay with the person
place something soft under their head
do not put anything in their mouth
call 911 if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes

Risk Factors of Epilepsy

(AANS, n.d.)

premature birth
trauma during birth
bleeding in the brain
serious brain injury
brain tumors
brain infections
cerebral palsy
alcohol or drug abuse

Treatments of Epilepsy

(AANS, n.d.; NHS, n.d.)

AED (antiepileptic medications) include lamotrigine, topiramate, and sodium valproate

*Drugs completely control seizures in up to 70% of those with epilepsy

Special diets like the ketogenic diet (a high-fat, low carb diet) and Atkins (a low carb diet) have been shown to reduce seizures
Surgery to remove the small part of the brain the seizures start in (if the person only has focal seizures) or to sever the corpus callosum (so that the seizures are limited in their spread).

This Woman Describes Her First Experience with Epilepsy and The Medication She Uses to Treat it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zC_rw82HVRI

Meta-analysis finds that lamotrigine may be the most effective drug treatment for epilepsy

Bonnett and her colleagues (2007) statistically combined the data from 20 randomized controlled trial (containing a total of 6418) which compared the use of a single epilepsy drug to treat seizures. Subjects who took lamotrigine were the least likely to need to have the drug removed or to have a drug added to control their seizures. This study suggests that people with newly diagnosed epilepsy should try lamotrigine first before trying other medications.

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