VIJAYAWADA: How many parents are aware that sudden change in their children’s behaviour and losing focus for a few minutes could be a mild epileptic attack, also known as absence seizures? Absence seizures which last for a few seconds affect mainly children and can progress to general epileptic seizures.
According to neurologists, epilepsy is a common brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. A seizure is defined as an abnormal, disorderly discharging of the brain’s nerve cells, resulting in a temporary disturbance of motor, sensory, or mental function. There are many types of seizures, depending primarily on what part of the brain is involved. The term epilepsy says nothing about the type of seizure or cause of the seizure, only that the seizures can happen every now and then.
Senior consultant, Balya Hospitals, Ch Madhusudhana Rao, said that epilepsy among children is “quite common” and that he gets around 2-3 new cases every month in his clinic on Nakkal Road. He explained that an epileptic attack is different from a seizure as an epileptic attack can be due to tapeworm eggs getting lodged in the brain, also known as neurocysticercosis. “In true epilepsy there is no focus. In the case of tapeworm eggs, it shows up in the MRI scan or CT scan. They are not true epilepsy,”said Rao. He added that other reasons to trigger epilepsy could be a brain tumour or “scarring in the brain” from a head injury.
“Adequate sleep for an epilepsy patient is a must. Sleep deprivation can act as a potential trigger for an epilepsy attack. Some common antibiotics can also trigger epilepsy,” said K Bindu Madhavi, senior pediatrician at Mamatha Children’s Hospital. However, there are “very good” medicines to treat epilepsy nowadays. Madhavi, who gets about 15 new cases every month said that the medication should not be stopped arbitrarily by the patient. “Appropriate dosage of medication for a specific duration should be administered. When a patient has not had an epilepsy attack for around three years, then one can say he or she is out of danger,” added Madhavi.
Symptoms of epilepsy
Seizures are the main symptom of epilepsy. Symptoms differ from person to person and according to the type of seizure.
Facial (partial) seizures
Generalised seizures
Absence (petit mal) seizure
Common Causes
Stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA).
Dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease
Traumatic brain injury
Infections, including brain abscess, meningitis, encephalitis, and AIDS
Brain injury occuring during or near birth
Brain tumor
Use of certain medications, including antidepressants, tramadol, cocaine, and amphetamines.
Epilepsy seizures usually begin between ages 5 and 20, but they can happen at any age. There may be a family history of seizures or epilepsy
Treatment
Treatment for epilepsy may involve surgery or medication. If epilepsy seizures are due to a tumor, abnormal blood vessels, or bleeding in the brain, surgery to treat these disorders may make the seizures stop. Medication to prevent seizures, called anticonvulsants, may reduce the number of future seizures.