What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is an ongoing liability to seizures. Seizures are
caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. About 1 in
100 people have a seizure at some point in their life,
sometimes triggered by a fever or head injury, but only about 1 in
200 go on to have further seizures and it is only when a person has
had more than one seizure that a diagnosis of epilepsy is made.
Seizures can be generalized or partial seizures depending on
whether the abnormal electrical discharge affect the whole of the
brain or just one part of the brain. Some patients may
experience a warning or 'aura' before a partial seizure such as an
abnormal smell or taste. During a generalised seizure a person will
be unconscious and may become rigid, convulse, bite their tongue
and be incontinent of urine. During a partial seizure people may
stare blankly ahead or may fidget with their hands or smack their
lips.
What do you do to treat it?
It is first important to find out if there is a cause for the
seizures. This may involve a brain scan ( MRI) and an
electroencephalogram (EEG) . Treatment is usually recommended when
there have been 2 or more seizures without any obvious triggering
factors such as a fever. Treatment is usually anti-convulsant
medication taken as tablets, there are many different drugs
available and the doctor will discuss with the patient which one
may suit you best. Sometimes two or more drugs will be necessary to
gain full control of the seizures. Rarely, if the brain scan has
shown a definite abnormality, surgery can be used to remove the
cause of the epilepsy. Good treatment is important because seizures
can be dangerous. A person with epilepsy cannot legally drive until
they have been seizure free for 12 months.