Worldwide Epilepsy Day (IED) is a world healthcare occasion celebrated on second Monday of February yearly since 2015 (February 10 in 2025). It intends to deliver collectively sufferers affected by epilepsy and create public consciousness.
COMMON CAUSES
- The trigger could also be consuming habits or poor hand hygiene.
- The overuse of laptop or smartphone or electrical devices can undoubtedly improve the chance of seizure recurrence because of their electromagnetic fields.
- The stimuli delicate epilepsy undoubtedly improve with the overuse of all these applied sciences.
- The flickering mild can improve the seizure sensitivity.
- Poor sleep hygiene and sleep deprivation may also precipitate seizures.
Varieties of seizures
Generalised tonic clonic: Individual has convulsions muscle
rigidity and jerking.
Absence seizures: Clean stare lasting for few seconds.
Advanced partial: Individual is out of contact with environment.
Atonic- Sudden collapse: Easy partial- Jerking or sensory distortion in a single or the extra physique elements.
Myodonic: Sudden, transient, huge jerking involving all or a part of physique.
The prevalence of epilepsy in India is about 1 per cent of the inhabitants and the prevalence in Punjab is about 3 to 11 sufferers (roughly 7.6) per 1,000 sufferers. We see a median out affected person responsibility (OPD) of about two to 3 sufferers with seizure or epilepsy each day. Epilepsy is mostly seen in kids and individuals above 65 years. The causes are delivery trauma or genetic elements in kids, apart from neuro infections, neuro trauma in aged. The most common an infection is neurocysticercosis NCC because the secondary explanation for epilepsy. There may be distinction in prevalence in city and rural areas.
It’s extra frequent in rural areas. The trigger could also be consuming habits or poor hand hygiene. The overuse of laptop or smartphone or electrical devices can undoubtedly improve the chance of seizure recurrence because of their electromagnetic fields. The stimuli delicate epilepsy undoubtedly improve with the overuse of all these applied sciences. The flickering mild can improve the seizure sensitivity. Poor sleep hygiene and sleep deprivation may also precipitate seizures.
What’s epilepsy, myths?
Epilepsy is a neurological dysfunction that causes folks to have recurrent seizures. A seizure is a quick disruption {of electrical} exercise within the mind. However prevalent myths relating to epilepsy, which have to be handled are: It’s not contagious, not a psychological sickness, not psychological retardation. Greater than half the time, the causes of epilepsy are unknown. The place a trigger will be decided, it’s most frequently one among these: head harm, infections that have an effect on the mind, stroke, mind tumour, Alzeihmer’s illness, genetic elements.
Who has epilepsy?
One in 10 folks can have a seizure sooner or later of their lives. Epilepsy doesn’t discriminate. It impacts kids and adults, women and men and folks of all races, faith, ethnic backgrounds and social lessons. Whereas epilepsy is mostly identified both in childhood or after the age of 65, it may happen at any age.
How is it identified?
Affected person’s historical past, neurological examination, blood work and different medical checks are all essential in diagnosing epilepsy. Eyewitness account of the affected person’s seizure is essential to assist decide the kind of seizure. The electroencephalograph (EEG) is essentially the most generally used check in diagnosing epilepsy. In some conditions CT scans, MRI’S and PET scans (to take a look at inside construction of mind) could also be required.
Remedy
Remedy: Most individuals obtain good seizure management on a number of number of drugs. Generally if not one of the medicines work, a particular weight loss program will be tried as a substitute (Ketogenic weight loss program).
In case of any opposed drug response, don’t cease the remedy by yourself, this may result in steady seizures, which will be of threat to life.
Surgical procedure: A number of varieties of surgical procedure could also be used for sufferers whose seizures don’t reply to remedy. The most common are lobectomy and cortical resection. These could also be used when a seizure focus will be decided and removing of all or a part of the affected lobe will be carried out with out harm to very important features.
Vagus nerve stimulation: A small pacemaker like system is implanted within the left chest wall with lead connected to vagus nerve. The system is programmed to ship electrical stimulation to the mind at common intervals. As much as two thirds of sufferers who don’t reply to remedy, see enchancment with this methodology.
Ketogenic weight loss program: Used primarily in kids. The medically supervised high-fat, low carbohydrate, low protein weight loss program has been proven to learn two-third of kids who can keep it.
Epilepsy First Support:
do’s & don’ts
Do’s – Through the seizure defend the individual, take note of what occurs to sufferers throughout seizure, notice the time for which seizure persists, care for airway, don’t foricbly maintain the affected person, keep calm, name for assist.
Don’ts – Don’t restrain affected person, don’t provide any meals/drink, don’t put something in individual’s mouth; don’t carry out cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) until the individual will not be respiration when seizure stops.
Put up seizure: Transfer issues out of the way in which. Take away particular person’s eyeglasses, tie or scarf. Loosen tight clothes from the neck. Place one thing gentle and flat beneath the pinnacle. Flip individual to 1 aspect, clear the airway, let the individual relaxation in protected place until he awakens. Search for respiration, if there’s any bother search medical assist instantly. Test for individual’s medical identification, what remedy they take, and drug allergic reactions.
When to hunt quick medical consideration?
If seizure lasts for greater than 5 minutes. The individual will not be aware or has respiration issue. A second seizure follows instantly. A lady is pregnant, has diabetes or excessive fever. An individual has injured himself throughout seizure.
(As instructed to Aparna Banerjee)
