EPI - SlideFinder - PowerPoint search engine with thumbnail results
Epilepsy Q: What is epilepsy?
A: Epilepsy is a brain disorder. It occurs when the electrical signals in the brain are disrupted. This change in the brain leads to a seizure. Seizures can cause brief changes in a person's:
Body movements
Awareness
Emotions
Senses, such as taste, smell, vision, or hearing People with epilepsy have repeated seizures.
Myth or Fact Myth #1 --- Epilepsy is rare
Fact --- More than 2.5 million Americans have epilepsy.
Myth #2 --- Epilepsy is contagious
Fact --- You cannot catch epilepsy from another person! Therefore it is not contagious.
Myth or Fact Myth #3 --- Epilepsy is a psychological condition
Fact --- Epilepsy is a medical condition. Seizures are the result of an excessive and disorderly discharge of electrical energy in the brain.
Myth #4 --- Epilepsy is a form of mental illness
Fact --- Epilepsy is a functional, physical problem, not a mental one. Its an umbrella term that describes about twenty different types of seizure disorders.
Myth or Fact Myth #5 --- Persons with epilepsy are “epileptics.”
Fact --- Persons with epilepsy are individuals who experience chronic, recurrent seizures and prefer being described as "persons with epilepsy.“
Myth #6 --- You have to be born with epilepsy
Fact --- Epilepsy often first appears in children and young adults, although anyone can develop epilepsy at any time.
Myth or Fact Myth #7 --- Epilepsy is a lifelong disorder
Fact --- Epilepsy is not necessarily a lifelong disorder. Many persons with epilepsy will not have seizures or require medication all of their lives.
Myth #8 --- You can’t prevent epilepsy
Fact --- While no specific cause can be pinpointed in a majority of epilepsy cases, some causes, such as severe head injuries experienced in falling from a bicycle or sustained in an automobile accident, have been identified. This is why helmet safety is so important for children as a preventive measure.
Myth or Fact Myth #9 --- Epilepsy cannot be treated or cured
Fact --- There is no known cure for epilepsy. However, modern treatment methods can achieve full control of seizures in a majority of cases. According to the EFA, 80 percent of those on medication have complete control of seizures. Within the past 15 years, several new drugs have been developed to help control seizures, and surgery is an option for some patients. Many people who have epilepsy lead productive, normal lives. Currently there is no cure, but some children tend to outgrow the condition.
Myth or Fact Myth #10 --- Epilepsy is a disease
Fact --- Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by recurring seizures. Epilepsy is not a disease or a mental illness, and it does not signal emotional instability or lack of intelligence. According to the Epilepsy Foundation of America (EFA), 9 percent of the population will have a seizure at some point in their lives. Of this group, 3 percent will develop epilepsy.
Myth or Fact Myth #11 --- All seizures are the same
Fact --- There are more than 20 forms of seizure disorders. The intensity and duration of the seizure depends on how many and what type of brain cells are affected. Seizures are not painful and range from convulsions to momentary lapses of attention. People with mild seizures may even be unaware they’ve had one. Seizures may occur minutes, days or years apart, depending on how well they are controlled by medication
Incidence Over a lifetime, 5-7 percent of us have a seizure
30 to 60 per 100,000 persons have epilepsy
Common in very young children
Most common neurological disorder of adolescence
60 percent completely controllable; 25 percent can reduce severity
Epileptic Syndromes An epileptic disorder characterized by a cluster of signs and symptoms which occur together
Factors taken into consideration include seizure type, etiology, genetics, anatomy, precipitating factors and the interictal EEG
Proposed by ILAE in 1985, revised in 1989 currently under revision
Generalized seizures Electrical abnormality throughout cerebral cortex
Grand mal or generalized tonic-clonic seizures
Absence or petit mal
Atonic seizures
Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures Person stiffens, falls, and convulses, losing consciousness
EEG abnormal in more than 2/3 of cases
Cause in young children due to infection, metabolic disorder or trauma
In older individuals, usually due to trauma or tumor
Outcome dependent upon age, cause, and ability to control seizures
Approximately 40 percent retarded
Absence or Petit Mal Seizures Temporary lapse of consciousness that starts and ends abruptly
Brief periods of lack of awareness; may be unusual movements
Usual age of onset is 4 to 8 years
High genetic predisposition
Over 50 percent go into remission after adolescence
Generally normal IQ; only 5 percent retarded
Childhood Absence Epilepsy Onset at 3-12 years
Peak at 6-7 years
Second peak at 11-12 years
Females more than males
Family history in 15-44%
Risk of generalized TC seizures is 30-40%
Increased risk if absence seizures begin after the age of 8 years
Comments