Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder and affects people of all ages. It covers a wide range of seizure types and control varies from person to person.
Epilepsy facts:
- Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by recurrent seizures
- A seizure is a sudden and brief change in the brain’s activity
- Epilepsy is not contagious
- 0.6% of Canadians have epilepsy
- About 60% of new epilepsy diagnosis are young children and senior citizens
- In about half of the cases of childhood epilepsy, seizures disappear completely
- Due to the stigma and prejudice surrounding epilepsy, the prevalence of epilepsy is likely much higher
Causes/Triggers
Common causes include:
- Brain tumor and stroke
- Head trauma
- Injury, infection, or illness of the mother during pregnancy
- Brain injury to the infant during delivery
- Infection of brain (meningitis, viral encephalitis)
- Poisoning, from substance abuse of alcoholism
- Heredity
Triggers of seizures include:
- Stress
- Poor nutrition
- Missed medication
- Flickering lights
- Skipping meals
- Illness, fever and allergies
- Lack of sleep
- Emotions such as anger, worry, fear and others
- Heat and/or humidity
Symptoms of a Seizure
- Periods of blackout or confusion
- Fainting spells
- Episodes of blank staring in children
- Sudden falls for no reason
- Episodes of blinking or chewing at inappropriate times
- Clusters of swift jerking movements
- A convulsion, with our without fever
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
Treatment
- Long term drug therapy is mainstay of treatment
- Drugs are not a cure and may have severe side effects
- Brain surgery is recommended when medications fail and when it is safe to do so without damaging a person’s personality or function
Visit www.epilepsy.ca for more information on Epilepsy
Leave a Reply