November 17 of every year is dedicated to celebrate National Epilepsy Day. This day is celebrated to generate awareness among the people about the existence of epilepsy, it’s symptoms, it’s diagnosis and treatment. Celebration of this day is first started by Epilepsy Foundation Of India in order to reduce the number of casualties, who reach the further stages without even knowing that the disease exists.There are more than one million cases existing in India, so it is important to be aware so that one can act quickly to rescue a person during a seizure. Followed are some information about epilepsy that everyone should be aware of.
EPILEPSY
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that is mainly characterized by symptoms like seizures, temporary confusion, staring spell, loss of awareness of one’s surroundings, fear, anxiety, etc. anyone of any age, gender, any region can be affected by epilepsy in any part of their life. Some factors that cause epilepsy are genetic influence, head trauma, prenatal injury, autism, etc. a survey by the World Health Organization says that there are more than 50 million people suffering from epilepsy all around the world.
FACTORS
Age: people start to lose control over their memories slowly with aging which leads to epilepsy.
Family history: Sometimes a person can be suffering from epilepsy if any of their ancestors were previously diagnosed with it. It passes through genes in some cases.
Stroke: there is a major possibility for people having frequent strokes to have epilepsy too.
Head Injury: People that suffer from a head injury have a minor chance of getting diagnosed with epilepsy.
SYMPTOMS
There are no definite symptoms for epilepsy, the symptoms change from person to person and from condition to condition. Some of the major symptoms seen in patients are seizures, temporary confusion, shaking of limbs, loss of awareness to the surroundings, staring spell, loss of consciousness, losing muscle control, deja vu, fear, anxiety.
DIAGNOSIS
Existence of epilepsy in a person can be identified by undergoing a neurological exam, blood test and even taking some scans like EEG, CT scan, etc. the neurological exam that one takes will help the doctor to know the patient’s motor abilities and mental functions. Scans like EEG, CT, MRI, PET test can be undergone only if necessary.
TREATMENT
Every doctor prescribes their patients with Anti-Epileptic medications. These medications help you to get rid of frequent seizures and side effects like fatigue, loss of bone density, speech problem, thinking about the issue, depression and rashes. In case the medicine that you are prescribed does not work and fails you, then you need to undergo a surgery which deals with the removal of the epilepsy causing area of the brain. Surgery is not an option for all the patients, your doctor will ask you to undergo the surgery only if the seizure originates from a small region in your brain that does not deal with any important functions.
FIRST AID
Stay calm and take care of the affected person and mend to any wounds caused by collapsing.
Time the seizure and inform the doctor, it will help a lot.
Help the affected to calm themselves and keep their breath under control.
Avoid holding the affected person forcibly which may lead to more confusion and anxiety which leads to more aggressive behaviour.
Do not put pills or water in the affected’s mouth until they are completely aware of their surroundings.
IS IT CONTAGIOUS
No it is not contagious. You cannot receive the disorder from another person. For people above 60 years epilepsy occurs if they suffer from frequent stroke or if they have experienced a heart attack it is possible for them to have epilepsy too. If the seizure threshold value is higher in a human being then we can say that they are protected from epilepsy. But it is not that easy for everyone.
PHASES OF SEIZURE
There are three phases in a seizure. The beginning, the middle and the end. The beginning phase normally starts with signs like smell, sounds and behaviour. The middle phase is where the seizure occurs, it lasts from few seconds to few minutes. The end phase is where the brain comes back to normal state, it even takes a few hours for the person to completely come back to their senses.
Epilepsy is a disorder that lasts for a longer period than any other disease and can occur for anyone at any period of their life. Taking your prescribed medication regularly can help you to control and reduce the occurrence of seizure. If the seizures are under control, then the affected person can work as efficiently as any other normal person. These patients are to be taken cared of, mistreating them should not be tolerated. Being aware of the ways to protect them can help you save them from any unwanted injuries. So, let’s take a vow to help the people in need.
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