Epilepsy Breakdown By Hunter Jones Jeremy Dickinson

Epilepsy (Epi-Lambenein) The Latin root means To seize, to attack. Epilepsy (ep-uh-lep-see) is a disorder of the nervous system, characterized either by mild, episodic loss of attention or sleepiness (petit mal) or by severe convulsions with loss of consciousness (grand mal). Seizures are triggered by excessive sensory input!

The Patient (Mrs. Dickinson) At 8 years old, my first seizure was noticed by mom. I remember having them younger but didn’t know what they were. I described the feeling I would get before a seizure as feeling ‘dizzy’. I told my mom I felt dizzy but she was unable to connect my feeling with anything, so it went unnoticed for years. Before seizures, I would see ‘dots’ in my eyes, feel a strong headache and dizziness, and hear things around me as if I was in a tunnel. I would lose consciousness for 1-5 minutes. At times. I would stop breathing and turn blue, my hands and feel were hyperextended and I would sometimes lose control of my bowel and bladder. Always after a seizure, I would feel very tired and sleeo anywhere from 1-3 days. There was no telling when a seizure would come. Sometimes while in school or grocery shopping or at church or after a shower. While cooking dinner or asleep at night. I was having anywhere from 8-10 seizures a day.

Symptoms 3 main types of seizures can result from epilepsy: Absence(petit mal)- A term given to a staring spell, brief, due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Generalized Tonic Clonic(Grand mal)- A seizure involving the whole body, A large spazm. Rigid muscles, violent contractions, loss of consciousness and muscle control. Prior to convulsions, changes in aura will occur.(sensory changes). Parietal(Focal)- Occurs when electrical changes only occur in ONE area of the brain. Simple- not affecting awareness or memory. Complex- effects memory before during and immediately after seizure, also change in behavior. Automatisms occur as well with abnormal muscle movement and sensations.

Diagnosis The most common way to diagnosis epilepsy is through an electroencephalogram. This test records elctrode activity in your brain. However other tests could include DNA examination, and a simple neurologic test. Things like holding your hands out straight or writing your name, and examining motions can potentially yield a diagnosis.

Etiology/ Causes Acquired in various regions of the brain, usually caused from physical injury to brain tissue, infections, or problems during development. A few examples of causes are as follows: 1.Strokes or other diseases affecting brain tissue 2.Physical harm such as a car crash 3.Comes with age due to issues in development 4.Use of certain drugs/ medications. Look at this diagram, It’s actually sort of important. ->

Errors in communication Dependant on the form of epilepsy, It can affect various types of neurons. Generally however, all types of epilepsy are the result of errors in the sensory neurons. The sensory neurons will continue to send in false input, overwhelming the brain with false stimuli. The false stimuli will pass through the interneurons to the CNS and to various brain regions (dependant on type of epilepsy), then motor neurons are given false responses to the stimuli resulting in the spasms and convulsions.

Treatment Drugs are the most common treatment for epileptics. While it will not cure the disorder, It will protect from seizures and convulsions. In very rare occasions, there are surgeries that can be performed to treat epilepsy. If there is only a small portion of the brain that triggers seizures, then that portion will be removed, however this treatment is rare due to the high risk. However, as mentioned earlier, medication is the more common treatment by leaps and bounds.

Prognosis Long term survival rate is lower than average, mostly due to accidents resulting from the disease. Suicide is also a more frequent cause of death than the disease itself. The remaining deaths are usually from heart failure during muscle convulsions. Quality of life is mostly unaffected given proper medication, however, It’s important to avoid excessive visual input with flashing lights and color changes.

Careers Naturally, a Neurologist or a Neurosurgeon would be to types of people to contact to seek help for an epileptic. They can prescribe treatments to any symptoms of epilepsy as well as diagnosing it as early as infancy. Outside of this however, a pharmacist could help an epileptic as well since they can provide medications to treat symptoms.

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