Written by Sara Bozyel
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you were staring at the wall without having anything on your mind, or ever felt that your mind was collapsing out of confusion? Even though it seems contradictory, both situations are symptoms of the same disease: Epilepsy. Epilepsy is a disease that even the most simple conditions may be considered a symptom. It is a central nervous system disorder in which brain activity becomes abnormal, causing instant seizures and fainting that leaves you with nothing but physical exhaustion [Epilepsy, 2021].
The development of epileptic seizures may depend on many different mechanisms. For example, the neurobiological basis underlying epileptic seizures may be due to an imbalance between the resting and arousal states of the nerves. However, in cases of epilepsy, the underlying cause of the disease has never been determined exactly, yet there are a few things that could be considered as causes of the disease such as genetic influence, a disease occurs in family genes and passes itself on to the next generations by it. Certain genes may make a person more sensitive to environmental conditions that trigger seizures [Epilepsy, 2021]. So it gets much easier for the disease to pass on by genes; head trauma as a result of a car accident or other physical traumatic injury; abnormalities in the brain, including brain tumors or vascular malformations; infections, meningitis, HIV, viral encephalitis, and some parasitic infections can also cause epilepsy; prenatal injury, before birth, babies are sensitive to brain damage that could be caused by several factors, such as an infection that the mother has, poor nutrition, or oxygen deficiencies. This brain damage may result in epilepsy or cerebral palsy, and lastly: developmental disorders. Sometimes epilepsy can be associated with developmental disorders, such as autism [Epilepsy, 2021]. Epilepsy disease, which can cause many problems if not under-controlled, is most common in the ages of 3 and over 65. It can also occur at any period from infancy to advanced age.
The symptoms of the disease occur with daily issues that we experience in life, which we don't even think matter, such as shaking hands, uncontrollable jerking in both arms and legs, staring blankly, blinking fast, or having the feeling of fear and anxiety. Since it is a dysfunction of the brain, the symptoms may vary depending on the function of the affected area of the brain. When the seizure occurs, it may stand in the way of the process that our brain coordinates. The pre-seizure symptoms are symptoms that you may observe in a person who is about to have an epilepsy seizure. If the seizure starts in a small area of the brain, some symptoms may appear at the onset of the seizure, this state is called "aura." These symptoms, which show which area of the brain is related to abnormal electrical activity, can appear as obtunded, getting unpleasant scents, changing in vision or hearing, a sudden sense of fear, nausea, or the feeling of pressure in the stomach.
Let's see the effects and treatments change according to the type of epilepsies. Focal Seizure is a variant of epilepsy that occurs in only one part of the body. In the case of a focal seizure, consciousness may be on or off. Absence Seizure is a type of epilepsy where short-term eye drops and loss of consciousness occur. Generalized Seizure happens with contractions in the whole body, urinary incontinence, and foaming at the mouth are experienced. Tonic Seizure starts with a continuous and severe contraction in the affected area of the body. Psychic Seizure manifests itself in the individual with feelings such as sudden fear, anger, joy, or visual and auditory hallucinations. Somatosensory Seizure is where the feeling of numbness or tingling occurs in a part of the body.
Many epilepsy patients can be treated with epilepsy medications that are called antiepileptics. These drugs are used to prevent sudden-onset seizures. Therefore, regular use of the aforementioned drugs is extremely crucial. Although it is effective in the majority of patients, there are some cases where drug therapy does not provide the expected efficiency. In these cases, surgical treatments may be considered, depending on the underlying cause of the disease.
References
Epilepsy - Symptoms, and causes. (2021, October 7). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/epilepsy/symptoms-causes/syc-20350093.
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