Introduction
With 65 million people worldwide suffering from it, epilepsy is a growing health concern. One in twenty-six people will be diagnosed with epilepsy in the United States at some point in their lives. Epilepsy affects people of any age and any background (TEF, 2013). Sixty percent of cases are of unknown cause. Seizures affect different parts of the brain and result from different factors such as genetic, symptomatic, or idiopathic. Seizures can express themselves as partial (involved in one side of the brain) or generalized (involved in both sides of the brain), and as absent (the person stares blankly for a few seconds), atonic (person falls to the ground with loss of consciousness), tonic (the patient becomes very rigid and may or may not lose consciousness and falls to the ground), myoclonic (repetitive jerky motion) and tonic-clonic (a series of muscle stiffening and loosening and the patient loses consciousness and the patient falls to the ground). Patients can display signs of more than one type of seizure occurring in different parts of the brain (Solomon et. al., 2012). The condition is named epilepsy when the seizures are recurrent without any definitive trigger such as fever (Burns et. al., 2009).
Disease Process
Seizures are a result of misfiring of the cortical neurons of the brain which can cause episodes of involuntary contraction of voluntary muscles (Burns et. al., 2009). This sudden, transient disturbance of brain function can also influence involuntary motor, sensory, autonomic, or psychic events in any combination with or without the loss of consciousness (Hay et. al., 2011).
Diagnosis is based on a good history. The patient may or may not remember the incident and bystanders may only rec...
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Many people with epilepsy usually have more than one type of seizure and may have other symptoms of neurological problems as well. The cause of epilepsy varies by age of the person, but the majority of the time the cause is unknown. Common causes of seizures by age in Elizabeth Otte’s case would be congenital conditions (Down’s syndrome; Angelman's syndrome; tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis), genetics, head trauma, and progressive brain disease which is rare (Schechter & Shafer, Ltd., 2013, p.1). The diagnosis of epilepsy is based on medical history of the patients including family history of seizures. They ask several of questions to figure of what type of seizures the patients could possibly be suffering from. Doctors then preform test such as EEG, take blood, and study images of your brain. Epilepsy is treated by a neurologist specialist that may or may not subscribe medication depending on the severity and frequency of the seizures. Also treatment can be a change in the patients’ diet or
Seizures occur because of sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain. This cause is a temporary and disturbed in the messaging system between brain cells. Epilepsy may occur as a result of a genetic disorder or n acquired brain injury, such as trauma or stroke. There are four different kinds of seizures that can occur. Simple partial seizure, which is when the patient is conscious during the seizure in most cases, and the patient, is aware of his/her surrounding even when the seizure is in progress. Complex partial seizure is when the patient is conscious is impaired. The patient will generally not remember the seizure and if he/she does the recollection of it will be vague. Generalized seizure is when both halves of the brain have epileptic activity and the patient conscious is loss. Secondary generalized seizure is when epileptic activity starts as a partial seizure but then spread to both halves of the brain. The main symptom of epilepsy is repeated seizures. But, there are other symptoms such as short spells or black out or confused memory, panic or become fearful, repetitive movement that seem inappropriate, short period the person is unresponsive to instructions or questions etc.… There is no cure for epilepsy but overtime you can help it get better or find ways to adjust to it. You can also take medication, gob through surgery etc.… Epilepsy was a main point in the book because the main character Lia Lee was diagnosed with it. Her culture believed that it was a blessing rather than a disorder. Because of her culture it was impossible for Lia to be treated the way she supposed to be treated. Her parents did take her to get treatment and medication but they also utilized traditional healing methods. The family believed that little medicine and treatment was okay but not too much or that would stop the spiritual healing. In our presentation we talked
Diagnosing Epilepsy can be a long process with lots of steps to follow. When first going thru the process there will need to be a confirmation of parent history. Then there will be a full neurological exam followed by blood and clinical tests, to make sure it wasn’t some other type of episode such as fainting. Apart from the neurological exam, the EEG is the best tool to diagnosing seizures and epilepsy. Then the doctor will identify the type of seizures and do a clinical evaluation to determine the cause of epilepsy. Now depending on the results they will determine the best type of treatment.
It is known that patients with a past history of epilepsy often refuse transportation or further care, as these patients usually regain consciousness and have no signs of injury.
Epilepsy, also known as “seizure disorder,” or “seizure attack,” is the fourth most common neurological disorder known to mankind, affecting an estimated 2.3 million adults and 467,711 children in the United States. Unfortunately this disorder is becoming far more common and widespread worldwide. This staggering number of cases of people suffering from Epilepsy also involves an average growth rate of 150,000 new cases each year in the United States alone. Generally, many of the people who develop who are a part of the new are mainly either young children or older adults. Your brain communicates through chemical and electrical signals that are all specialized for specific tasks. However, through the process of communication, chemical messengers, also known as neurotransmitters can suddenly fail, resulting in what is known as a seizure attack. Epilepsy occurs when a few too many brain cells become excited, or activated simultaneously, so that the brain cannot function properly and to it’s highest potential. Epilepsy is characterized when there is an abnormal imbalance in the chemical activity of the brain, leading to a disruption in the electrical activity of the brain. This disruption specifically occurs in the central nervous system (CNS), which is the part of the nervous system that contains the brain and spinal cord. This causes an interruption in communication between presynaptic neurons and postsynaptic neurons; between the axon of one neuron, the message sender and the dendrite of another neuron, the message recipient. Consequently, the effects that epileptic seizures may induce may range anywhere from mild to severe, life-threatening ramifications and complications. There are many different types of seizures associa...
Epilepsy is a very common neurological disorder. Some reports estimate that five in one-thousand people suffer from this problem. Throughout history, people with epilepsy have been shunned or considered inferior. Even today, ignorance leads many people to treat the epileptic as "abnormal" or "retarded". Although the etiology of epilepsy is still not fully understood, it is quite treatable due to advances in modern medicine.
Not everyone who has a seizure has epilepsy. Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Unprovoked means that there is no immediate cause for the seizure, such as a fever, an infection of the brain, or head trauma. Nearly 10 percent of people will have a seizure during their lifetime; most of these are provoked seizures during an acute illness or condition. These people may never have epilepsy. There are two types of seizures people can have. One is partial seizure or focal they begin in one part of the brain. They cause varied symptoms auras which is a funny feeling in your stomach, staring, chewing, lip smacking, shaking, or stiffness in parts of the body. Generalized seizures are when the entire brain is effected. This causes loss consciousness. One type is grand mal is when the body stiffens and jerks. Another type is petit mal, which is momentary loss of consciousness without abnormal body movement. Some factors of this are infections of the brain this includes meningitis, encephalitis, and brain abscess. Strokes are also a risk of epilepsy. Also alcohol can cause seizures for heavy drinkers when they stop drinking abruptly (withdrawal seizures) and also have a good chance of epilepsy. Epilepsy can also cause brain tumors usually they are slow growing and don't affect them for years. Some other factors that cause epilepsy is age the risk of seizures is higher in young children. Also gender epilepsy is higher in males than in females. The most common treatment for epilepsy is the daily use of anticonvulsant or antiepilectic drugs to prevent seizures. These medications act on brain signals to limit hyperexcitability. While medications do not cure epilepsy, they allow many people to live normal, active lives. Other treatments are vagus nerve stimulation this treatment involves electronic stimulation of the brain using an implanted device like a pacemaker. Another is epilepsy surgery this is when a part of the brain that is causing the seizures is removed so that it prevents it from spreading to anther part of the brain.
One percent of the population - two million people - in the United States has Epilepsy. Every year over 125,000 new cases are reported one third of which are children (Carson 7). U.S. doctors have found at least twenty different types of seizures to be in existence (Carson 11). Even though there are many ways to diagnose and treat Epilepsy, there is not a current cure.
Later, the doctors told me I had epilepsy, specifically the type known as grand mal. Immediately, the doctors put me on some medications to prevent the seizures. They also gave my parents a bunch of packets of information about epilepsy. When I got older, some of those packets informed me that 20-25 million people have suffered from an epileptic seizure. Many people grow out of childhood epilepsy or they take medicine to control it. However, there is still a risk of having a seizure even if you take medication. Over the past few years, I have become increasingly aware of the chance of a seizure at any time.
Epilepsy has been around since the beginning. During the Greek period, many believed that seizures were actual visitations from the gods. The Greeks often called this disorder “The Sacred Disease” (Schachter). However, Hippocrates believed that Epilepsy was no more sacred than any other disease (Schachter). During the Renaissance period, people begin to believe that seizures were associated with evil demons and that the devil possessed the person. During this period, society would burn people at the stake who had seizures after accusing them of being sorcerers. Even as much as a century ago, it was difficult for a person who had Epilepsy. There was little known about Epilepsy, Society shunned people that had this disorder and epileptic patients often led a life of isolation. People thought that Epilepsy was contagious and were often isolated in hospitals into areas that were for “epileptic only” (Landau). It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that Physicians and Neurologist begin to study and re...
Seth Statler, L. D. (n.d.). History of Epilepsy. Retrieved April 20, 2014, from www.nawrot.psych.ndsu.nodak.edu: http://www.nawrot.psych.ndsu.nodak.edu
Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures which are unprovoked by any immediately identifiable cause (Hopkins & Shorvon, 1995). It is also known as a seizure disorder. A wide range of links and risk factors are associated with the condition, but most of the time the cause is unknown. Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting approximately two and half million people in the US and about 50 million worldwide. Though seizures can occur at any age, epilepsy is most commonly seen in children and the elderly. Most respond well to treatment and can control their seizures, but for some it is a chronic illness. A clinical diagnosis is the first step to finding a potential cure for the disorder.
Epilepsy, also called seizure disorder, chronic brain disorder that briefly interrupts the normal electrical activity of the brain to cause seizures, characterized by a variety of symptoms including uncontrolled movements of the body, disorientation or confusion, sudden fear, or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy may result from a head injury, stroke, brain tumor, lead poisoning, genetic conditions, or severe infections like meningitis or encephalitis. In over 70 percent of cases no cause for epilepsy were identified. About 1 percent of the world population, or over 2 million people, are diagnosed with epilepsy.
People uneducated about Epilepsy may have confused thoughts on what it really is. People have these "notions," which are partly or entirely not true. So, throughout this research paper, these notions will be proven untrue, mostly by factual information given by Epileptics talking about their lifestyles living with Epilepsy.
But, there are some setbacks. For example, people with epilepsy have to go a certain amount of time without having a seizure before they drive a car. If they have too many frequent seizures, though, they cannot drive a car for obvious safety reasons. People with this condition also have to avoid jobs that involve dangerous machinery, heights, and underwater environments. Depression is also a high risk for people who have epilepsy. So, the occurrence of epilepsy in the general population: epilepsy is pretty common. Six out of 1,000 people get epilepsy. If you want to compare, Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome affects one in 35,000 people. It is uncommon for ages 0-5 to have a known case of epilepsy, and for ages 6-60+ it is more common. Finally, I think this genetic mutation is negative, because it restricts certain things you can do, like driving and picking certain jobs. It also can cause depression. I have never had a seizure, but I'm guessing that it must be scary for you and those around