Causes, symptoms and treatments for epilepsy

This article gives a great general overview of the causes, symptoms and treatment options for epilepsy.

Epilepsy is usually identified only after the occurrence of more than one seizure in a person and the chances of Epileptic seizures increases with age and leads to abnormal, excessive or hypersynchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Moreover, the condition is also very common among the infants. Presently over 50 million people are victim of Epilepsy globally of which about 80 percent cases are observed in the developing countries. So, in order to avoid Epileptic condition it is very important to know about thecauses, symptoms, treatment and prevention of Epilepsy. Moreover you should also know about the types of seizure as well as diagnosis of Epilepsy.

Types of Seizure

Depending upon the source of seizure, they are primarily classified into two types of which first is called partial or focal onset seizures in which the seizure within the brain is localized. However, in the second type of seizure called generalized seizures, the seizure within the brain is distributed.

Partial seizures depending upon the extent to which alertness is affected is further divided into two types called the simple partial seizure in which the awareness is unaffected, while the second type is called complex partial (psychomotor) seizure.

Generalized seizures are further divided as per the effect on the body but over all involve loss of consciousness and alertness. The types of generalized seizures include absence (petit mal), myoclonic, clonic, tonic, tonic-clonic (grand mal), and atonic seizures.

Causes of Epilepsy

Though, in most of the cases the reason behind Epileptic seizures are not known but the major cause of Epilepsy is injury to the brain due to some reasons. The major causes of Epilepsy can be characterized by:

• Inadequate oxygen during birth.
• Any head injury at the time of birth or as a result of some accident during the adulthood.
• Recovering patients as a consequence of brain surgery.
• Due to brain tumors.
• Central nervous system (CNS) infections and trauma.
• Some of the genetic factors can also result in epileptic condition such as tuberous sclerosis.
• People suffering from meningitis or encephalitis have increased chances of Epilepsy.
• Sudden stroke or brain injury.
• Abnormal levels of substances such as sodium or blood sugar.

However, the major causes for Epileptic condition are mentioned above but these are not restricted to these only. There are some factors, which may also provoke Epileptic seizures. These are:

• Not taking medicines properly.
• Excessive consumption of alcohol.
• Consumption of drugs like cocaine and others.
• Emotional stress, sleep deprivation
• Taking drugs that interfere with seizure medications.

Symptoms of Epilepsy

Symptoms of Epilepsy are seizure and may vary from person to person. While, some people show simple seizure attacks, some are diagnosed by violent seizures leading to loss of alertness. The symptoms of epilepsy depend upon the part of brain affected causing epilepsy. Some of the common symptoms of Epilepsy are:

• Feeling strange and restless.
• Sudden jerk in the arms.
• Twitching and trembling.
• Sudden unconsciousness. You may fall to the ground due to black out.
• Sometimes you may feel stiffness in your muscles or limp.
• You also may get a warning sign, like strange smell before the seizure provokes. These are called auras.
• Lack of sleep is also a common symptom.

Diagnosis of Epilepsy

Diagnosis of Epilepsy is a tedious task as it requires access to various facts and figures about the patients and the cause of seizures due to lack of an absolute diagnostic tool or test. However, it you have suffered two or more seizures, you may be diagnosed with epilepsy. The diagnosis of Epilepsy is based on many factors.

In order to diagnose Epilepsy, it is very essential to know patient's medical history, which also includes if there is any case of family history of seizures, associated medical conditions, and current medications if any.

Some of the common questions asked to the patient in order to diagnose Epilepsy are:

• At what age did you get the first seizures?
• For how long did you felt the seizure and what was the feeling?
• What do you think should be the reason for the seizure?
• What do you feel before, during, and after the seizures?
• Have you undergone for any treatment for epilepsy before?
• What are the medications prescribed to you and in what dosages?
• Was the treatment effective?
• Are you suffering from any illnesses, diseases, injuries or other medical condition?
• Do you have any family history of Epilepsy?

After analyzing and evaluating all your answers to the questions asked by the doctor, the doctor might provide the answer whether you are getting the seizure due to epilepsy or not.

Treatment of Epilepsy

Though, there is not any absolute treatment for Epilepsy yet, but there are certain methods usually used to reduce the severity of Epilepsy from being increasing.

• Ketogenic diet is one of the common practices deployed for the treatment of Epilepsy and has also shown some success in reducing the rate of seizure to certain extent especially among the children.
• Nerve stimulation through Vagus nerve stimulation method is another option. This treatment is mostly for people who cannot have surgery.
• In some cases where medication does not show proper result, surgery proves to be quite effective.

Prevention of Epilepsy

As such the exact reason of Epilepsy is still unknown. There is no stiff treatment for the disease but by keeping certain common things in mind, you can certainly prevent Epilepsy from being occurring. Some of the preventive measures of Epilepsy are:

• Try to prevent any type of head injuries by wearing seat belts and helmets while driving.
• Immediately rush to a doctor after suffering from the first seizure for medical help.
• Start taking proper medication on doctor's advice after the first or second seizure.
• Avoid the consumption of alcohol.
• Avoid the intake of tobacco products and harmful drugs
• If you are suffering from high blood pressure or any other infection, take proper treatment for that.
• Proper diet enriched with vitamins and minerals is recommended.

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Rapper Lil Wayne suffers seizure

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Fellow rapper Drake and other friends set up vigil outside his room
• "I'm good everybody," Lil Wayne writes on Twitter
• Lil Wayne suffers a seizure and "is recovering," his record label's publicist says
• Lil Wayne is a Grammy-winning and multiplatinum selling artist

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Grammy-winning and multiplatinum-selling rapper Lil Wayne suffered a seizure and "is recovering," his record label's publicist said Friday.

The New Orleans artist arguably occupies the highest rungs of the hip-hop world, but he shares them with fellow rapper Drake, who hails from Toronto.

Drake appeared at the Los Angeles hospital, where Lil Wayne is being treated, with an entourage of Wayne's friends. They pulled up chairs in the hallway near his room and set up a vigil.

Twitter has lit up with rumors, spreading fears of the worst for Wayne's outcome, but a Tweet in his name attempted to calm the tempest.

"I'm good everybody," read a message from Lil Wayne's Twitter account. "Thnx for the prayers and love."

While acknowledging a medical issue, members of the New Orleans' artist's camp have shot down reports that he was near death.

"Dont believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe ... that's false!!" tweeted Mack Maine, the president of Lil Wayne's Young Money label, around 5:20 p.m. (8:20 p.m. ET) Friday.

Sarah Cunningham, a publicist with the Young Money record label, acknowledged that Lil Wayne had a seizure.

The public relations department at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Los Angeles hospital where the rapper is reportedly being treated, did not confirm or deny that Lil Wayne is there, per its policy.

Maine didn't offer much detail, though he did say that he and Lil Wayne had been watching the Syracuse University Orange play Georgetown in the Big East men's basketball tournament.

"Wayne is alive and well!" the record label president wrote on Twitter.

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10 Important Things to Know About Epilepsy

This article discusses 10 important aspects of epilepsy that are important to know.

As a neurologist with specialty training in this field, I have been devoted to helping the plight of individuals with epilepsy find better treatments, advocate for better management and to illuminate some of the terrible misinformation that is spread about this condition.  In March 2012, the Institute of Medicine took up the topic of epilepsy and how it is handled in the United States (U.S.).  As a member of that panel, I was able to hear important testimony from public, private and government institutions about how epilepsy is managed in the U.S. and some of the major problems that affect its care and the people who have it.  The following are several important items that may help to clarify one’s knowledge about epilepsy and show that this is truly a common condition.

1. Epilepsy is the condition of having repeated, unprovoked seizures, whereas a seizure is anabnormal electrical discharge of the brain which then results in an individual losing consciousness or having a change in their neurological function. There are several types of seizures and not all are dramatic in their presentation, though they are often depicted in movies and television as a convulsion.  Some seizures manifest by one simply losing focus, but to a bystander, it may seem as daydreaming, wandering or a tremor.  Therefore, not all seizures are very dramatic in their presentations.

2. Epilepsy is very common.  According to the CDC, one in 26 people in the U.S. will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime.  If you think about it, that means two persons on every bus or two people in every subway car will have epilepsy.  There are 150,000 new cases of epilepsy diagnosed in the United States annually; 2.2 million people in the U.S. and more than65 million people worldwide have the condition.

3. Children and older adults are the fastest-growing segments of the population with new cases of epilepsy; however, the reason that they have epilepsy varies dramatically.  In children, we see an overabundance of genetic and infectious causes of seizures. For older adults, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease seem to be the common cause of epilepsy and seizures in this population.

4. There are numerous causes of seizures and epilepsy.  Stroke, head trauma and tumors are common causes of seizures in the U.S., yet the number one cause of seizures outside of the U.S. is an infection which is completely preventable by simply washing one’s hands. Neurocysticercosis– caused by the Taenia solium tapeworm– is one of the most common causes of epilepsy in the world and an increasing cause of seizures in the U.S.   Other preventable causes of epilepsy are head trauma from car accidents, violence or the consequences of military intervention.

5. Epilepsy is not a benign condition and can result in death. The number of people with epilepsy who die of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) varies from one of every10,000 newly diagnosed to nine of every 1,000 candidates for epilepsy surgery.

6. For many people with epilepsy, seizures can be effectively reduced or eliminated by medication, surgery, devices and dietary or other therapies; however, referral to epilepsy centers for surgery can take 15 years or more.  In the Latino population, there is a considerable misinformation and lack of information; oftentimes that lack of access does not translate into meaningful care. There are 26 different drugs approved for treatment in the U.S. for epilepsy.  Moreover there is a pacemaker like device known as the vagus nerve stimulator, a diet- ketogenic or modified Atkins, and numerous surgeries.  These effective treatments are available for many types of epilepsies; however, access and referrals to these treatments fall short.

7. There is considerable stigma associated with epilepsy that sometimes overwhelms the condition itself. The word” epilepsy” is considered stigmatizing in its own right.  The long history of epilepsy is full of examples of discrimination and secrecy due to misinformation and lack of understanding by the general public.  This stigma can have a detrimental effect on people with epilepsy and continued and sustained efforts are needed to raise public awareness and convey what epilepsy is and what it is not, as well as the basic message that this is an exceedingly common condition.

8. There are significant quality of life issues associated with epilepsy and one of the most significant is driving.  Every state in the U.S. has a law that dictates whether someone with epilepsy can or cannot drive and the length of time they need to be seizure free for them to drive.  In six of these states, the law has mandatory reporting by the physician of all patients with epilepsy to a medical board.  Individuals need to be aware of these laws as there are, in some cases, criminal consequences for both physician and patients for their lack of awareness associated with it.

9. Epilepsy is more than just seizures as it often has other accompanying conditions associated with it.  Oftentimes, poor memory, mood issues, depression and anxiety walk hand in hand with issues associated with epilepsy and need to be managed and thought of when caring for the individual with epilepsy.

10. Sadly, many health professionals need to be better informed about epilepsy.  Only 20 percent of U.S. medical schools require training in neurology…and epilepsy and how to treat it.  Improvements in epilepsy care can only be made if the quality and quantity of education about epilepsy for health care professionals are improved dramatically at undergraduate and graduate levels of lifelong learning processes.  In addition, more educational efforts for patients with epilepsy and their families is needed.

It is only with a concerted effort to illuminate epilepsy and talk about the condition that one will hopefully empower individuals with knowledge so as to improve quality of life.

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Research links Epilepsy and a form of HPV

Research has shown a link between a difficult-to-treat form of epilepsy to a certain strain of HPV that can be passed from mother to child during pregnancy.

Local researchers have found a link between a form of epilepsy and a common cause of cervical cancer.

Dr. Peter Crino, professor of neurology at Temple University School of Medicine, says Shriners Hospital pediatric researchers at Temple have discovered evidence linking human papillomavirus 16, which causes cervical cancer, to a common and difficult-to-treat form of epilepsy in children and adults.

“This is particularly interesting, because it provides a potential cause for how these brain lesions actually form during development and it would also be the first time that human papillomavirus has been identified in the human brain,” he says.

Crino suspects the virus is transmitted from mother to baby during development, and if a medical treatment is found for cervical cancer, that treatment could be used to treat this type of epilepsy.

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What causes epilepsy? In Africa: Parasites, Trauma, Birth Complications

Parasites, Trauma Causes of Epilepsy

What causes epilepsy? In Africa, the burden of epilepsy is substantial. Read more and listen to VOA report on this problem. JR

by Joe DeCapua

A new study said it’s possible to substantially reduce the number of epilepsy cases in Africa. The neurological disorder, which is characterized by seizures, is much more common in poor countries and rural areas.


The study is the largest ever done on epilepsy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Nearly 600,000 people were evaluated in five countries: Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania and Ghana.

“Epilepsy is an abnormal discharge within the brain, such that the person who has it experiences abnormal convulsive movements as a result of this abnormal discharge. There’s a strong genetic component to it. In some cases a strong family history. There are genes which have been associated with it,” said Psychiatry Professor Charles Newton of the Welcome Trust and Oxford University, who led the research.

Epilepsy can cause not only physical suffering, but emotional pain as well.

“In many African communities the cause is attributed to ancestors, spiritual causes and even witchcraft. There’s a lot of stigma attached to epilepsy. The people who have epilepsy are less likely to go to school; are less likely to marry; are less likely to get jobs,” he said.

Newton and his team said the study is the “first to reveal the true extent of the problem and the impact of different risk factors.” And it’s not just genetics. One big risk factor is parasites. The study found that adults, who had been exposed to a parasitic disease, were up to three times more likely to develop epilepsy.

“The ones that we identified were onchocerciasis, which is a parasite associated with river blindness; Toxocara and taxoplasmosis – both of which are transmitted by cats; neurocysticercosis, which is transmitted by pigs. And we have some evidence to suggest that malaria may also be contributing to this,” he said.

The adults were actually exposed to parasitic diseases during childhood. However, it took many years for the parasites to damage the brain enough to trigger epilepsy.

As for children, the study cited different factors

“In the children under 18 years of age, we found that although the parasitic causes were there they weren’t as important as the abnormal pregnancies of their mothers – and particularly events that occurred around their birth. So it looks like that these children are suffering from birth trauma. So, for example, if the mother has a prolonged second-stage labor or if the child comes out and is not breathing and hasn’t got any oxygen going to the brain, these may be responsible or factors in the pathway for developing brain damage,” said Newton....

Article and report here