Epilepsy is tendency to have recurrent seizures (convulsions). It is a troublesome disease, which affects patient’s day to day activities. It may not be possible to “cure” it completely like pneumonia or sore throat. But the seizures can be controlled with medications and most of the people can lead a normal life, despite having the disease.
Overview of symptoms
Most people will see convulsions as sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body. But convulsions can occur in more subtle ways such as twitching of a muscle group, sudden behavior change, sudden staring episode and even sudden goose bumps. In fact any repetitive neurological phenomenon can be a convulsion.
How to diagnose epilepsy?
To diagnose epilepsy, the doctor may ask detailed questions from the patient. He/she may ask duration of the disease, nature of convulsions, onset, precipitating factors, family history and even addictive substances or over the counter drugs the patient is on. The doctor may need to ask questions from close relatives of the patient.
Then he/she may examine the patient. During the examination he may tap with a knee hammer and asks the patient to do various maneuvers. Sometimes he/she may look into the patient’s eyes through an ophthalmoscope.
Then the doctor may do several tests such as EEG, Computerized tomography (CT) and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He may even do few blood tests, to determine a cause.
How to treat?
If a curable cause such as some brain tumors is found, epilepsy can be cured completely. But most of the time it is treated with drugs. There are many types of drugs available. All of them act by aborting or suppressing abnormal bursts of brain electrical activity seen in seizures. Choice of the drug depends on the type of seizure the patient has and the tolerability of the side effects.
Epilepsy needs long term treatment, so doctor will not take the decision lightly. Sometimes the doctor may not prescribe drugs and asks the patient to wait and see.
Once the decision to take medications has taken, the doctor will start one drug with the smallest possible dose. Then he/she may increase the dose until a satisfactory seizure control is achieved. If seizures are not controlled by one drug the doctor may start a second drug. To adjust the dosage it is important to follow up regularly.
Sometimes drugs can be stopped early, if frequency of seizures is less and there is no underlying brain disease. Some patients need lifelong drug therapy to lead a normal life.
Overview of symptoms
Most people will see convulsions as sudden, violent, irregular movement of the body. But convulsions can occur in more subtle ways such as twitching of a muscle group, sudden behavior change, sudden staring episode and even sudden goose bumps. In fact any repetitive neurological phenomenon can be a convulsion.
How to diagnose epilepsy?
To diagnose epilepsy, the doctor may ask detailed questions from the patient. He/she may ask duration of the disease, nature of convulsions, onset, precipitating factors, family history and even addictive substances or over the counter drugs the patient is on. The doctor may need to ask questions from close relatives of the patient.
Then he/she may examine the patient. During the examination he may tap with a knee hammer and asks the patient to do various maneuvers. Sometimes he/she may look into the patient’s eyes through an ophthalmoscope.
Then the doctor may do several tests such as EEG, Computerized tomography (CT) and Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). He may even do few blood tests, to determine a cause.
How to treat?
If a curable cause such as some brain tumors is found, epilepsy can be cured completely. But most of the time it is treated with drugs. There are many types of drugs available. All of them act by aborting or suppressing abnormal bursts of brain electrical activity seen in seizures. Choice of the drug depends on the type of seizure the patient has and the tolerability of the side effects.
Epilepsy needs long term treatment, so doctor will not take the decision lightly. Sometimes the doctor may not prescribe drugs and asks the patient to wait and see.
Once the decision to take medications has taken, the doctor will start one drug with the smallest possible dose. Then he/she may increase the dose until a satisfactory seizure control is achieved. If seizures are not controlled by one drug the doctor may start a second drug. To adjust the dosage it is important to follow up regularly.
Sometimes drugs can be stopped early, if frequency of seizures is less and there is no underlying brain disease. Some patients need lifelong drug therapy to lead a normal life.