Epilepsy
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a chronic medical condition that is marked by epileptic seizures (on a recurrent basis). Well, an epileptic seizure is a condition wherein the brain function is altered caused due to excessive or abnormal electrical discharges from the brain cells. In fact, epilepsy is a common neurologic disorder.
There are different kinds of seizures, several types of epilepsy syndromes, and varied causes of epilepsy. For instance, both stroke and brain tumors can lead to seizures and result in chronic epilepsy. While a few causes can be diagnosed & treated using medicines, others may require surgery.
Causes of epilepsy
Over 50% of newly diagnosed cases of epilepsy have no clear cause. Of the remaining, the most common reasons include brain tumors, stroke, congenital abnormalities, infection and trauma. As with many other diseases, it is crucial to determine the exact cause of epilepsy in order to get the best treatment.
Who diagnoses and treats epilepsy?
Diagnosis of epilepsy is best determined by a neurologist – a doctor that specializes in the diseases/disorders of the nervous system and the brain. A few neurologists take advanced training to become epileptologists. Epileptologists are doctors that specialize in the diagnosis & treatment of epilepsy. They first determine the cause of the illness and then proceed by prescribing anti-convulsant medicine in order to prevent further seizures. A lot of family practice doctors and internists treat epilepsy as well.
Epilepsy treatment
Most of the epileptic seizures seem to be controlled using drug therapy, especially anti-convulsant drugs. Drugs vary depending on several factors like the type of epilepsy, frequency of seizures, the severity of seizures, age of the person, medical history and overall health. An accurate diagnosis on the type of epilepsy is significant to choose the best treatment method. There are several drugs to treat this condition.
Few of our Panelists
DM - Neurology, Fellowship in Epilepsy, MD - General Medicine, MBBS