All you need to know about epilepsy and seizures

An episode of epileptic seizure can be scary for even the toughest of us. So, it's not unusual to lose control over the situation completely. A low-down on epilepsy and seizures will help you manage the brain condition in a more effective and efficient way.

Saswati Sarkar | Updated: August 30, 2018 4:20 pm

Though epilepsy cannot be prevented or cured, seizures can be kept at bay. © Shutterstock

65 million people across the globe suffer from epilepsy and one third of them live with uncontrollable seizures as no treatment seems to be effective for them. Well, these facts and figures from the Epilepsy Foundation are appalling. Here, we share a few must-know facts about epilepsy which will help you tackle the condition better and also enable you to take care of your close ones, if they are suffering from the disease.

What is epilepsy?
This is a neurological disorder characterised by unexplained seizures. Two instances of seizure not caused by fever, withdrawal syndrome or severely low blood pressure confirm the diagnosis of epilepsy. It is fourth among the most common neurological disorders and affects people of all ages. However, epilepsy cannot be prevented or cured as the cause is unknown.

What is a seizure?
According to the experts of Cleveland Clinic, your brain processes about 70,000 thoughts every day. For proper processing, 100 billion neurons need to connect at more than 500 trillion points. The whole process that generates quite a significant amount of electricity. But there could be an error in the system. The result of that glitch is what is known as seizure.

There are various types of seizure
The most common form of seizure includes symptoms like shaking and passing out. However, there could be other types of seizure too where one experiences a tingling or numbness in a particular body part or hears clicking and ringing when there is no sound. An episode may last lesser than 2 minutes.

Seizures can be prevented
Identify the trigger behind your seizure attack. In someone with epilepsy, certain triggers can lead to a seizure. For example, if stress is your trigger, take time out to take deep breaths when you start feeling stressed out. If the culprit happens to be a particular smell, you can fend off a seizure by sniffing something with a strong odour. In case of a twitching sensation, apply firm pressure on the muscles around the disturbed spot. The general precautionary measures include getting enough sleep, avoiding alcohol, bright light, etc.

All seizures do not indicate epilepsy
Seizures can be experienced by non-epileptic people too. They can occur to those who are sleep deprived, use drugs, low on blood sugar and are undergoing an anxiety attack. Kids also undergo febrile seizures, triggered by high fever. Apart from all these, a seizure can be indicative of a stroke or a brain tumour.

Published: August 30, 2018 4:14 pm | Updated:August 30, 2018 4:20 pm

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