1. What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a disease caused by paroxysmal abnormal discharges of neurons in the brain, similar to a short circuit in the wiring in an electrical appliance. Seizures can occur with convulsions, confusion, seizures, abnormal sensations, memory loss or some psychiatric symptoms.
2. How does epilepsy arise?
There are many causes of epilepsy, and in general they can be grouped into two main categories: (1) idiopathic epilepsy, i.e., epilepsy for which current technology cannot find a causative agent, and such epilepsy is partly related to heritage; (2) symptomatic epilepsy, which can be secondary to brain disease or systemic disease. It is mostly seen in infants and children due to perinatal injury, hypoxia, and hyperthermia, in adults due to traumatic brain injury, infection, and brain tumors, and in the elderly due to stroke.
3. How many types of seizures are there in epilepsy?
Seizures can be divided into two categories: partial and generalized seizures. Each category can also be subdivided into multiple subtypes. Some seizures cause only transient memory loss, while others present with muscle convulsions and tonicity in one limb or the whole body, and some seizures are confused, while others are clear.
Many patients have extremely similar presentations with each seizure. If the patient or a bystander can provide details of the seizure, combined with an EEG, doctors can clearly distinguish the type of seizure.
4. What should we do when a seizure occurs?
When your friend or family member has a seizure, the first thing you should do is to stay calm and pay attention to: (1) prevent trauma to the patient; (2) prevent aspiration; and (3) pay attention to observation. Do this by placing the patient in a safe, stable place, then loosen their collar and turn their head to the side to prevent vomit from accidentally entering the airway. Remember: never put anything in his or her mouth, and never press, shake, or try to stop the seizure. If the seizure is prolonged (more than 20 minutes) or if you notice that this seizure is different from previous ones, you should go to the doctor. Seizure performance is valuable for diagnosis, so pay attention to the seizure and provide the doctor with information about it, which is beneficial for the patient’s diagnosis.
5. Can epilepsy be cured?
In general, with the improvement of medical treatment, the control and cure rate of epilepsy is getting higher and higher. At present, about 80% of epileptic patients can have their seizures controlled by taking medication, and about half of the patients with controlled seizures can be seizure-free for life after stopping medication for a period of time.
6.What should I pay attention to when taking antiepileptic drugs?
(1) If there is only one seizure, the EEG is normal and no cause can be found, do not rush to take the medication, but suggest to follow up with the specialist clinic. If you have recurrent seizures and suspect epilepsy, sometimes there is no abnormality in the EEG, it is better to do video EEG monitoring during seizures to identify the cause before further treatment (this test has been carried out in our hospital). When epilepsy is diagnosed, long-term antiepileptic drug therapy is required. We choose drugs according to the type of seizure, and it is best not to combine drugs if they can be controlled by a single drug. The actual fact is that you will be able to get a lot more than just a few of the best and most effective. This is because missed doses can easily lead to frequent seizures and even persistent status epilepticus. The actual fact is that you will not be able to get a good deal on your own.
(2) Do patients with epilepsy have to take medication for life?
When the seizures are controlled and the patient has been seizure-free for a significant period of time (depending on the type of seizure, usually 1-5 years), only then should the medication be considered for reduction or discontinuation. This should always be done under medical supervision.
(3) What are the side effects of taking antiepileptic drugs?
Mild ones may include poor appetite, dizziness, vomiting, etc. This usually does not affect the treatment. Severe ones may include unstable walking, gingival hyperplasia, etc. If there is an overdose of dalantin, then you must go to the doctor to reduce or discontinue the medication. Sodium valproate can affect liver function, and carbamazepine can affect blood cells, so take these two drugs must be regular blood tests.
(4) Can Chinese medicine cure epilepsy?
According to current information, the role of traditional Chinese medicine for epilepsy patients is to support the root of the problem and enhance the ability to resist the disease, but not to control seizures with traditional Chinese medicine alone, which only plays an auxiliary role in the treatment. The actual fact is that a lot of patients who have taken these drugs are not only unable to control their seizures, but also increase their seizures, making it more difficult to treat them, even if they can temporarily control their seizures. We don’t advocate taking a combination of medications at the beginning.
(5) Keep good records.
The duration of epilepsy is long, and seizures are sometimes regular and sometimes irregular. It is very meaningful to keep objective records to judge the efficacy and help solve the treatment plan.
7. Does fever have an effect on epilepsy?
Many febrile diseases can promote seizures, such as acute pharyngitis, tonsillitis, etc. In infants and children, if convulsions occur only in high fever (above 38℃), we call them hyperthermic convulsions, and most of these patients have good outcomes. The actual fact is that the actual person with epilepsy is not only a person with epilepsy, but also a person with epilepsy.
8. Can epileptic patients live a normal life?
(1) Learning: After seizures are controlled, 95% of children with epilepsy have no difference in academic performance from other children, but frequent seizures will significantly affect their intelligence and learning.
(2) Work: If seizures are not well controlled, patients should have a correct estimate of their ability to work, and if necessary, they can confess their condition to their employers and workers to gain their understanding and help. In fact, if the seizures are fully controlled and they master certain skills, their work performance is no less than normal people, and some of them even go to university.
(3) Marriage: According to the genetic law of epilepsy, the incidence of epilepsy in children of patients with idiopathic epilepsy is 4-10 times higher than that of the general population, but idiopathic epilepsy is generally not difficult to treat. (a) prohibit marriage of patients with idiopathic epilepsy, there are no clear rules in China, but from the perspective of improving the quality of our population, we recommend: (a) prohibit marriage of close relatives, especially those with primary epilepsy on both sides, and childbirth; (b) discourage marriage of both parties with idiopathic epilepsy, and if they are already married, childbirth should be prohibited. For those with epilepsy due to purely secondary factors, it will not be inherited.
(4) Menstruation: 2/3 or some patients have an increase in seizures before or during menstruation.
(5) Pregnancy: Some patients have an increase in seizures in early pregnancy. When a woman with epilepsy becomes pregnant, it is important to know that both the disease itself and the antiepileptic drugs can be dangerous to the fetus. All antiepileptic drugs have some teratogenic risk, but with proper seizure or drug control, most parents with epilepsy can have a healthy child.
(6) Recreation: During seizures, driving, swimming, working at heights and around fires are strictly prohibited. The first thing you need to do is to take a look at the actual site.
The first thing you need to do is to take a look at the following
The actual fact is that you will be able to get a lot more than just a few of the most popular and most popular items. The food should be light, not spicy, quit smoking and alcohol, and appropriate physical exercise.
The particular reminder is not to play video games, do not watch TV for a long time, many children with increased seizures during the holidays, the follow-up is caused by this.
10.Should I tell others if I have epilepsy?
Epilepsy is not a terrible disease and is not contagious, so it does not affect the people around you. However, for various reasons, there is still an objective prejudice against epilepsy, so whether or not to tell others is a sensitive issue. In principle, if the epilepsy is expected to be under control soon, it may be possible not to tell others. If it is difficult to control the epilepsy within a period of time and family members need to help, it is necessary to tell the people concerned and seek understanding and help. In short, it depends on the specific situation. Confidence in overcoming the disease during long-term treatment is an important condition for good health.