Epilepsy: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment
Epilepsy is the fourth most common brain disorder following migraine, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease. According to Epilepsy Action Australia (EAA), over 250,000 people are living with epilepsy in the country; in New Zealand, the National Epilepsy Association of New Zealand says 1 to 2% of the country’s population will have epilepsy at some stage of their life.
In this article we'll explore epilepsy, its causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment, so you can be more confident when living with or caring for loved ones with epilepsy.
In this guide:
Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterised by surges of electrical activity in the brain causing recurring seizures. Also called seizure disorder, epilepsy affects the central nervous system. It can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, ethnic background, or ability.
The seizures can vary from person to person. Some stare blankly while others experience repeated twitching of their arms or legs. These seizures usually last for 1 to 3 minutes, but if they last more than 5 minutes, it’s recommended to immediately call for medical help. It is important to note, however, that a single seizure is not enough to diagnose someone as epileptic. Seizures can be caused by other medical problems including alcohol or drug withdrawal, low blood sugar, or high fever.
About 2 in 3 people diagnosed with epilepsy have no identifiable cause, however, others can be caused by different conditions such as:
Some types of epilepsy can be caused by genetic influence. The type of seizure a person has or the part of the brain affected can be used to determine if it runs in the family. Researchers have attributed some types of epilepsy to specific genes making a person more sensitive to conditions that can trigger seizures. These genes, however, are only partly the cause of the brain disorder for some people.
When babies experience oxygen deficiencies, poor nutrition, or infection before birth, they may develop brain damage which can then result in epilepsy or cerebral palsy.
Brain tumours, vascular malformations, and cavernous malformations can cause epilepsy. Stroke is also one of the top causes of epilepsy in adults.
Severe head trauma caused by a car accident or other traumatic brain or head injury can lead to epilepsy.
These brain infections include HIV, meningitis, viral encephalitis and other parasitic infections.
The key symptom of epilepsy is repeated seizures. Sudden bursts in the brain’s electrical activity can temporarily affect its function. Seizures can occur whether the person is awake or asleep, and they can be triggered by stress, lack of sleep, drinking alcohol, flashing lights, fatigue, and more. Seizures can also have diverse effects on people diagnosed with epilepsy and it varies depending on the part of the brain concerned.
According to the International League Against Epilepsy, seizures can be classified into three major groups:
Formerly called partial seizures, focal onset means the seizures originated from one small region of the brain. It is one of the most common types of seizures with about 60% of people with epilepsy experiencing this symptom. They are considered subtle and may even go unnoticed or mistaken for daydreaming or being intoxicated. A focal seizure can progress into a bilateral tonic-clonic seizure which means it can spread to both sides of the brain causing jerking and muscle stiffness.
Focal onset seizures can be further divided into two categories, determined by the person’s awareness during the seizure:
The person is fully aware during the seizure but may be unable to respond.
The person may seem disoriented or confused because the awareness is affected.
With the generalised onset, the seizure affects the brain’s two hemispheres from the beginning. Loss of consciousness can be expected at the start of the seizure. Some patients experience stiffening and jerking, while others undergo brief changes in awareness and may even have automatic and repeating movements. There are various types of generalised onset seizures including:
These seizures involve a sudden loss of responsiveness or awareness where the person may seem like they are daydreaming or in a brief staring spell.
The tonic phase starts with the person’s body stiffening and then progresses to the clonic phase where the limbs begin to jerk rhythmically.
Myoclonic seizures occur when a muscle or group of muscles experience single jerks that last no more than two seconds.
These seizures can happen whether a person is awake or asleep and it causes the body, arms, or legs to stiffen. If the person is standing or sitting, it can cause them to fall suddenly.
These are momentary seizures that can cause muscle tone loss resulting in falling or a sudden head not if they are sitting.
Clonic seizures cause jerking in different parts of the body but they are considered uncommon.
Seizures that can’t be categorised as either generalised or focal onset are considered unknown onset. This classification can sometimes be temporary and as more information is gathered through testing, the type of seizure can be changed to either focal or generalised onset.
If you or a person you know experienced a seizure for the first time, it is best to talk to a healthcare provider. You will be asked to discuss your medical history and symptoms so they can look at what caused your seizure. The physician may request a neurological exam and a few blood tests, along with an electroencephalogram (EEG), computerised tomography (CT) scan, or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect any brain abnormalities.
The physician will then use a combination of analysis techniques such as statistical parametric mapping (SPM), electrical source imaging (ESI), and magnetoencephalography (MEG) to pinpoint where the brain seizures begin.
The main goal is to identify what type of seizure you have and to know where it originated to give you an accurate diagnosis that can lead to the most effective treatment.
The doctor’s first course of action for people with epilepsy is providing medication. People with this disorder can become seizure-free by taking an anti-seizure medication called anti-epileptic medication. Your physician may also prescribe a combination of medications to decrease the frequency of seizures. Other treatments include vagus nerve stimulation, deep brain stimulation, responsive neurostimulation, and in some cases surgery.
For people who live with epilepsy, there is also a suite of assistive technology that can help to make life safer and more secure in their own homes. These devices are unobtrusive and enable a client with epilepsy to have the peace of mind that help is always close at hand.
Tunstall’s Connected Care solutions can help people living with epilepsy to have a better quality of life.
To manage epilepsy, there have been many advancements not only in medical health but also in health tech. For instance, Tunstall’s Emfit Epilepsy Sensor promotes independence and dignity for people with epilepsy, especially those in the older age groups. Instead of having carers do regular physical checks, the Emfit sensor monitors a person’s vital signs such as heart rate and breathing patterns to detect seizures.
Users can use it while asleep and will not even feel its presence because of its thin construction with no wires or switches embedded. It’s a type of Connected Care device that immediately raises the alarm to nearby carers if a seizure is detected. A fall detector and in-home alarm can also be helpful for people who experience tonic-clonic seizures. Assistive technology appliances can be connected to the Tunstall medical alarm, which forwards any alerts to our 24-hour monitoring centre. Our trained response operators can then contact a nominated person such as a neighbour, loved one or carer, or call for an ambulance should the need arise.
Tunstall Healthcare provides a range of technologies designed to assist in managing the disorder. As well as helping individuals and their support network cope with the effects of epilepsy, Connected Care works to ensure that clients feel independent and confident once more.
Make sure that epilepsy doesn’t prevent you, or a loved one, from living life fully. If you’d like to know about creating a Connected Care system to support someone living with the disorder, reach out to Tunstall Healthcare and we’ll help you figure out what will best work for them.
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