Epilepsy is a medical condition characterized by consistent, re-occurring seizures. It is rather common (1 in 26 people develop it in their lives).
In some people, the cause of epilepsy is known but in others it is idiopathic – not known. An important principle of epilepsy is that it leads to unprovoked seizures – seizures without a known trigger. Not all seizures in epilepsy must be unprovoked, but at least some.
Epilepsy can affect people at any age, of any race, gender, or ethnic background. But there is evidence that some types of epilepsy affect children, and then resolve as the child matures.
The symptoms of epilepsy include the following:
The symptoms can be severe or not severe, depending on what type of seizures are associated with your epilepsy. If the seizures are simple (without loss of consciousness), and focal (only occurring in one area of the brain), the severity of seizures is usually milder. If seizures are complex (with loss of consciousness) and generalized (occurring in all parts of the brain), the severity of seizures can be extreme.
Epilepsy often occurs without an identifiable cause (idiopathic). But, about half of the people with epilepsy have a known cause for it. Typically, these causes include infections, brain trauma, and genetic factors. Severe infections like meningitis and encephalitis can damage the brain, causing epilepsy. Trauma can also cause epilepsy by way of brain damage. Genetic factors, like certain conditions (e.g., Rett Syndrome, West Syndrome) and some developmental disorders (e.g., ADHD and autism) are associated with epilepsy as well.
There are several risk factors for epilepsy, including:
To diagnose epilepsy your doctor will first take a detailed history and perform a physical exam, to know when and how you started having seizures. A special neurological exam may also be performed, which can check some aspects of brain function.
After these initial steps, you’ll likely be requested to do several tests including – an EEG, a CT, and an MRI. The CT and MRI help look at your brain and body and can see if any structures (like lesions or tumours) are pressing on your brain, which can lead to seizures. An EEG helps to translate your brains electrical activity into waves which can be read by neurologists (a specialist doctor of the brain).
Anti-epileptics are a class of medications that are used to treat seizure disorders, including epilepsy. There are many different medicines in this class, including carbamazepine, levetiracetam, lamotrigine, phenobarbital, and more. Many of these medicines have side effects, and some are quite severe, so it’s important that you closely communicate with your doctor while on these medicines.
Sometimes epilepsy resolves on its own, but it may take years for this to occur, and you will likely need to be on medication until it resolves.
The ketogenic (high-fat, low carb) diet may be helpful in managing epilepsy and has been shown to reduce seizures in some people. Surgery can potentially cure epilepsy if there’s a specific region or mass in the brain causing the seizures, and it can be surgically removed.