WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT EPILEPSY?
Do you know that Epilepsy is the world's most common serious brain disorder?
Do you know that this year alone, an estimated 2.4 million new cases will occur globally?
Do you know that Epilepsy is a condition of the brain, not a mental illness?
Do you also know that anyone can be affected by seizures at any age?

Do you have seizures? Do not be depressed. You can enjoy a full, active life. Epilepsy is not necessarily a lifelong disorder. There are some preventive/management measures and medical treatments for it.

There are many other facts you probably don’t know concerning the disorder.
‘Epilepsy 101’ aims to intimate you with all the information you need concerning epilepsy; its definition, history, types, causes, triggers, symptoms, diagnosis, incidence, prevalence, prevention, first aid, management, treatments, myths and facts.

At the end of this thread, you must have learnt at least ONE HUNDRED AND ONE (101) FACTS about the epilepsy. Do well to share the info. You definitely will save someone.

WHAT IS EPILEPSY?
The brain is made up of millions of nerve cells. These cells carry an electrical charge and are called neurons. Normally, the nerve cells are constantly sending tiny electrical messages down nerves to all parts of the body. Those cells fire in an orderly and controlled manner. Epilepsy occurs when there is a disturbance in the brains electrical system. In the brain of a person with epilepsy, overactive nerve cells send out powerful, rapid electrical charges that disrupts the brain’s normal function. This surge of electrical impulses cause brief changes in movement, behavior, feeling, or awareness. These events, known as seizures, lasts from a few seconds to a few minutes.
Epilepsy is also called a “seizure disorder”. When a person has two or more seizures without obvious triggers at least 24 hours apart, they are considered to have epilepsy.
Epilepsy can affect anyone at any age. Around the world an estimated 65 million people have epilepsy at any given time (epilepsy.com).
WHAT IS A SEIZURE?
A seizure is a short episode of symptoms caused by a burst of abnormal electrical activity of brain cells. During a seizure, brain cells can fire up to four times their normal rate, temporarily affecting how a person behaves, moves, thinks, or feels. The seizure may include brief stares and muscle spasms (shaking, lip smacking). These episodes can result in physical injuries including occasionally broken bones.
Epileptic seizures arise from the brain.
A seizure can also be caused by external factors which may affect the brain. For example, a high temperature (fever) may cause febrile convulsion. Other causes of seizures include lack of oxygen, a low blood sugar level, a lot of alcohol etc. Seizures caused by these external factors are not classed as epilepsy.
If you have epilepsy, it means that you have had repeated seizures. If you have a single seizure, it does not necessarily mean that you have epilepsy. It may be the only one that occurs. The definition of epilepsy is more than one seizure. The frequency of seizures in people with epilepsy varies. In some cases there may be years between seizures. At other cases, seizures occur every day.
Older words for seizures include Convulsions and fits.

WHERE DO SEIZURES HAPPEN IN THE BRAIN?
Seizures can occur in any part of the brain. The person’s symptoms will vary with the part of the brain where the seizure occurs. If the seizure occurs in the part of the brain that controls arm movement, then the seizure may consist of thrashing arm movements. If the seizure occurs in the part of the brain responsible for sensation, then the seizure may include an unusual feeling like pins and needles.

DO PEOPLE KNOW WHEN A SEIZURE IS GOING TO HAPPEN?
Some people do know when a seizure is going to happen. They get a sensation, feeling, emotion, taste, smell that comes before the seizure. This is called an aura. About 20% of people who have a seizure disorder experience an aura.

WHAT CAUSES EPILEPSY?
Unknown cause (idiopathic epilepsy)
In 7 out of 10 cases, no cause for the seizures can be found. The abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain occur for no known reason. It is unclear why they start, or continue to occur. Hereditary (genetic) factors may play a part in some cases. People with idiopathic epilepsy usually have no other brain (neurological) condition.
Medication to control seizures usually works very well.
Symptomatic epilepsy
In some cases, an underlying brain condition or brain damage causes epilepsy. Some conditions are present at birth. Some conditions develop later in life.
The following is a list of factors that have the potential to cause epilepsy:

 Abnormal brain development
 Head injury.
 High fever in children under 5 years old
 Hereditary (Genetic) factors
 Loss of oxygen to the brain
 Stroke
 Brain lesion/tumor
 Previous infections of the brain such as meningitis and encephalitis.

WHAT TRIGGERS A SEIZURE?
There is often no apparent reason why a seizure occurs at one time and not at another. However, some people with epilepsy find that certain triggers make a seizure more likely. These are not the cause of epilepsy but may trigger a seizure on some occasions.
Common Seizure Triggers include:
• Missed medications
• Extreme heat
• Illness (such as cold, high fever, infection)
• Stress or anxiety.
• Some medicines such as antidepressants, antipsychotic medication
• Lack of sleep, or tiredness.
• Irregular meals (or skipping meals) which may cause a low blood sugar level.
• Heavy alcohol intake or using street drugs.
• Flickering lights such as from strobe lighting or video games.
• Female hormone fluctuation
Individuals with seizures should take their medications regularly and limit their exposure to these triggers.


It is commonly thought that epilepsy always involves convulsions. In fact there are over 40 different types of seizures that people can have (epilepsy.org.au; epilepsyinfo.org). The various types and symptoms shall be discussed in the next post.

SYMPTOMS OF EPILEPSY
The main symptoms of epilepsy are repeated seizures. There are some symptoms which may indicate a person has epilepsy. If one or more of these symptoms are present a medical exam is advised, especially if they recur:
• A convulsion with no temperature (no fever).
• Short spells of blackout, or confused memory.
• Intermittent fainting spells, during which bowel or bladder control is lost. This is frequently followed by extreme tiredness.
• For a short period the person is unresponsive to instructions or questions.
• The person becomes stiff, suddenly, for no obvious reason
• The person suddenly falls for no clear reason
• Sudden bouts of blinking without apparent stimuli
• Sudden bouts of chewing, without any apparent reason
• For a short time the person seems dazed, and unable to communicate
• Repetitive movements that seem inappropriate
• The person becomes fearful for no apparent reason, he/she may even panic or become angry
• Peculiar changes in senses, such as smell, touch and sound
• The arms, legs, or body jerk, in babies these will appear as cluster of rapid jerking movements.

source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/8947.php

The following conditions need to be eliminated as they may present similar symptoms, and are sometimes misdiagnosed as epilepsy:

1. A high fever with epilepsy-like symptoms
2. Fainting
3. Narcolepsy (recurring episodes of sleep during the day and often disrupted nocturnal sleep)
4. Cataplexy (a transient attack of extreme generalized weakness, often precipitated by an emotional response, such as surprise, fear, or anger; one component of the narcolepsy quadrad)
5. Sleep disorders
6. Nightmares
7. Panic attacks
8. Fugue states (a rare psychiatric disorder characterized by reversible amnesia for personal identity)
9. Psychogenic seizures (a clinical episode that looks like an epileptic seizure, but is not due to epilepsy. The EEG is normal during an attack, and the behavior is often related to psychiatric disturbance, such as a conversion disorder)
10. Breath-holding episodes (when a child responds to anger there may be vigorous crying and subsequent apnea and cyanosis - the child then stops breathing and skin color changes with loss of consciousness).

TYPES OF EPILEPSY
Seizures are divided into two main types – Partial and generalized seizures. However, there are many other uncommon types of seizures that people can have. If you have epilepsy you usually have recurrences of the same type of seizure. However, some people have different types of seizures at different times.

PARTIAL SEIZURES
(Non-convulsive seizures)
• Affect only one area of one side of the brain
Simple Partial Seizures
• A person does not lose consciousness
• It may involve uncontrolled movement, emotions, or sensations
• The person does not have convulsions
Complex Partial Seizures
• Do cause a person to lose awareness
• May start with a blank stare
• Can progress into chewing movements, picking at or fumbling with clothing, mumbling
and performing simple, unorganized movements over and over again
Important: Any partial seizure can progress into a generalized seizure.

GENERALIZED SEIZURES
• Affect both sides of the brain
• Produce a loss of consciousness
• Are categorized into several types
Generalized Tonic Clonic Seizure
(also known as a grand mal seizure)
• Usually lasts 1 to 3 minutes.
• Begins with stiffening of the limbs
• Followed by jerking of the face and limbs
• Wetting or soiling of clothing may result from the seizure
Myoclonic Seizures
• Usually lasts 1-2 seconds
• Rapid, jerking movements of the body that are often confused with a person being clumsy
• May occur singularly or in groups
Atonic Seizure
(Also known as drop attacks)
• Usually last less than 15 seconds
• Sudden loss of muscle tone causes an individual’s head to drop and loss in their posture.
The student may fall to the ground
• Injury is more common; a helmet may need to be worn to protect the head
• This seizure occurs singularly/rarely in groups

Absence Seizures
(also known as Petit Mal)
• Usually last less than 10 seconds but can last up to 20 seconds
• The most difficult seizure to recognize
• The student will look like they are daydreaming but if you try to get their attention they will not respond
As already stated in the first post above, not everyone that has a seizure has epilepsy. There are other medical conditions that cause someone to have a seizure.
Non-Epileptic Seizures
(also known as “Pseudo” or Psychogenic seizures)
These seizures are not caused by excessive electrical discharges in the brain, so the person does not have epilepsy,
but seizures due to another cause.
There are many other reasons that can cause a seizure to occur
• High fever in younger children
• Cardiac problems
• Drug overdose/intoxication
• Infectious Disease
• Low-blood sugar
• Stroke
• Lead poisoning
• Head injuries
• Psychological issues/stressors
• Other conditions

Prevalence of epilepsy in Nigeria and other African countries (A. O. Olubunmi, 2006)

What to do if someone’s having a seizure
Tonic-Clonic seizures
The person goes stiff, loses consciousness and then falls to the ground. This is followed by jerking movements. A blue tinge around the mouth is likely. This is due to irregular breathing. Loss of bladder and/or bowel control may happen. After a minute or two the jerking movements should stop and consciousness may slowly return.
Do...
• Protect the person from injury and remove harmful objects from nearby;
• Cushion their head;
• Look for an epilepsy identity card or identity jewellery;
• Aid breathing by gently placing them in the recovery position once the seizure has finished;
• Stay with the person until recovery is complete;
• Be calmly reassuring.
Don’t…
• Restrain the person’s movement;
• Put anything in the person’s mouth;
• Try to move them unless they are in danger;
• Give them anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered;
• Attempt to bring them round.
Focal (partial) seizures
Sometimes the person may not be aware of their surroundings or what they are doing. They may pluck at their clothes, smack their lips, swallow repeatedly, and wander around.
Do...
• Guide the person from danger;
• Stay with the person until recovery is complete;
• Be calmly reassuring;
• Explain anything that they may have missed.
Don't...
• Restrain the person;
• Act in a way that could frighten them, such as making abrupt movements or shouting at them;
• Assume the person is aware of what is happening, or what has happened;
• Give the person anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered;
• Attempt to bring them round.

source: http:///h498jk6