Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that leads to recurrent and unpredictable seizures and loss of awareness. Affecting both males and females of all ages, epilepsy can be diagnosed if there are at least two unprovoked seizures.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Epilepsy may include temporary confusion, staring anything blankly for a few seconds, twitching in arms or legs, unconsciousness, and anxiety. A person with this problem will likely have the same kind of seizure every time, which means the symptoms will also be similar.
Diagnoses
To find out the cause of the seizures, your doctor may ask you to get several tests done. To evaluate this chronic disorder, you might have to do go for a neurological exam, different blood tests, Electroencephalogram (EEG), High-density EEG, Computerized tomography (CT) scan, Positron emission tomography (PET), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Functional MRI (fMRI), or Single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT).
To find the exact position of the seizure in the brain, your doctor may use the following techniques:
- Curry analysis
- Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
- Statistical parametric mapping (SPM)
Treatment
This chronic disorder is usually treated with anti-seizure (anti-epileptic) medication; however, it may also have side effects such as fatigue, dizziness, the problem in speaking, and more. The doctor may also performsurgery to check the origin of the seizure and to determine other factors. Some of the common types of surgeries that can be performed include:
- Focal resection
- Lesionectomy
- Multiple Subpial Transections
- Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy
- Anatomical or Functional Hemispherectomy and Hemispherotomy
- Corpus Callosotomy
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery
- Neurostimulation Device Implantations
Apart from the surgeries and medications, epilepsy can also be treated by therapies such as Vagus nerve stimulation, Ketogenic diet, and Deep brain stimulation.
How to control seizures?
Merely by making a little change to your lifestyle, you can control seizures. It is advised you never to skip your medicines, get proper sleep (at least 6 hours in a day), wear a medical alert bracelet, avoid alcohol & cigarettes, and do some physical exercise.
To know more about epilepsy and seizures, contact the best doctors in Cary or the city you are living in.