Epilepsy, Seizures and the brain Mattais Ramos, Austyn Henderson

What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a disorder which causes unpredictable seizures. It is the fourth most common neurological disorder in the world. It is not yet fully understood as the human brain is very complex.

Causes of epilepsy Epilepsy causes can vary by age. Newborn                                     Children-Adults Lack of oxygen during birth                                   Congenital conditions (Down syndrome) Brain malformations                                                Genetics Low levels of blood sugar or blood calcium        Head trauma Infants-Children                          Seniors  Severe fevers                                                            Stroke Brain tumor                                                               Alzheimer's disease  Infection                                                                    Trauma 

Seizures Usually the brain's neurons send out electrical pulses to muscles and nerves  But sometimes the neurons can send out pulses all at the same time, this creates something kind of like a traffic jam and causes a seizure.

Types of Epilepsy There are about 32 types of epilepsy Your type can be defined by many different factors such as age, part of brain being infected, and how you got epilepsy. Overall it is very specific on which treatments cure which kind of epilepsy.

Diagnosis Diagnosing usually takes a lot of tests and multiple tries First all the information they can get from the patient such as where it happened and how it happened is taken. Next they take them through a series of tests and brain imaging. This is usually repeated for accuracy, this then tells if you have epilepsy and what type you have.

Epilepsy history/fun facts Before modern civilization seizures were believed to be you communicating with the devil or other supernatural force. This was used as proof that you were dealing with a witch which led to punishment.

Cures and treatments Epilepsy can in fact be controlled or even seemingly cured, this can be done through medication. There is a medication that has a high chance of working, this is tried first on most patients, if this doesn't work there are more medications with a lower chance of working but do work on some people. If medicine does not work you then have to turn to Dietary or behavioral therapy. If all of those don't work next comes Brain surgery, this is very complicated and has many risks, it is not guaranteed to work and Is best left to a final option

Living with epilepsy Living with epilepsy has its obvious set backs and issues like watching out for triggers. Driving in most places is not allowed when the driver has epilepsy because at anytime they could have a seizure and crash the car. 2 out of 3 people can reduce or even stop seizures with medication taken regularly this can improve their life a lot but the risk is never gone. Regular checks with the doctor is needed

Work cited http://www.brainfacts.org/404?item=%2fdiseases-disorders%2fepilepsy&user=extranet%5cAnonymous&site=brainfacts https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/neurological-conditions/epilepsy.htm https://www.healthline.com/health/epilepsy/facts-statistics-infographic