1. What should epileptic patients pay attention to in general? 1) Take antiepileptic drugs regularly and do not reduce or stop the drugs without authorization; 2) Live a regular life and avoid staying up late; 3) Avoid drinking alcohol or taking drinks that may cause excitement, such as coffee, strong tea, and carbonated drinks; 4) Avoid strenuous exercise, such as swimming, playing soccer, etc.; 5) Avoid places with strong acoustic and visual stimulation, such as disco bars, dance halls, etc.; 6) Avoid driving and climbing up to high altitude, which may lead to accidental injury during seizures; 7) Maintain stable and optimistic mood. 7) maintain a stable and optimistic mood. 2. What kind of work should epileptic patients not do? Epileptic patients are the same as normal people in the inter-seizure period, so they can do jobs that are generally not dangerous. However, because epileptic seizures may cause the patient to lose consciousness or fall down, so jobs next to machines or climbing up to high altitude should be avoided; in addition, epileptic patients are not suitable to be electricians or drivers, and should not carry out high-altitude or underwater work, or carry out military training as a soldier. 3. What kind of work can epileptics do? Most epileptic patients, like normal people, can not only perform physical labor but also mental labor, and many of them can make outstanding contributions. Patients should have the confidence and courage to accept the challenge of destiny, to prevent inferiority complex, and not to give up on themselves because they have epilepsy. The society should encourage them and create more job opportunities for them. 4. Can epileptics get married? Unless both men and women are epileptic, epileptic patients in general can get married, but after marriage, they still need to take antiepileptic drugs regularly for a long time, obtain their spouse’s understanding and help, and have a moderate sex life. Female patients who still have frequent seizures are advised not to get pregnant and have children for the time being. They should actively cooperate with specialists to control their epilepsy, and then have children under the guidance of their doctors after their condition is stabilized and the amount of medication is reduced to a safe dose. 5. Does epilepsy affect a woman’s ability to have a baby? There are two main factors affecting the fetus: one is the seizure itself; the other is the anti-epileptic drugs. These two factors are what women with epilepsy need to consider when they want to get pregnant and have a baby. Some women with epilepsy only consider that taking medication is not good for the fetus, and blindly reduce or stop the medication, resulting in frequent seizures, which in turn do more harm to the fetus. The side effects of drugs certainly exist, but under the guidance of the doctor, the teratogenic effects of antiepileptic drugs can be avoided as much as possible by adjusting the type and dosage of drugs. 6. Will antiepileptic drugs affect the fetus? The risk of various malformations in children born to female patients taking antiepileptic drugs is generally 2-3 times higher than that of normal pregnant women. The effects of various antiepileptic drugs on the fetus are also different. It is generally believed that phenytoin sodium, valproic acid antiepileptic drugs have a higher rate of teratogenicity, and carbamazepine also has a certain rate of teratogenicity, which should be avoided by pregnant female patients with epilepsy. At present, there are more choices of newer antiepileptic drugs, some of which are relatively safe for pregnant female patients with epilepsy and have less effect on the fetus, so you can consult your specialist to take them. At the same time, the effect of antiepileptic drugs on the fetus is also related to the number of types of drugs taken and the dose, in general, the more types of drugs taken, the higher the dose, the higher the risk. 7. Is there a genetic predisposition to epilepsy? As a clinician, I am sometimes asked by patients whether epilepsy is hereditary. It is difficult to have a standard answer due to the many causes of epilepsy and the different types of seizures, but a preliminary answer can be given to the patient based on a comprehensive judgment of the patient’s family history, age of onset, type of seizure, and electroencephalographic features. Genetic and chromosomal examination is an important means of clarification and can be chosen as needed. Studies in recent years have confirmed that epilepsy and epileptic syndromes associated with genetic factors account for about 40% of the total number of patients with epilepsy, and more than 70 genetic aberrations have been identified as being associated with epilepsy, and a number of epilepsies and epileptic syndromes associated with chromosomal abnormalities have also been clarified. In short, some epilepsies are genetically predisposed and require genetic and chromosomal and other related tests before they may be clarified, while other types of epilepsy are acquired and do not have a genetic predisposition.