The most common symptom is convulsion, in which the patient loses consciousness, collapses, and has rhythmic jerking of arms and legs. © Shutterstock
Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder and it is estimated to affect nearly 50 million people worldwide. The other top three common neurological disorders are migraines, stroke, and Alzheimer's. Epilepsy affects people of all ages, but young adults are at increased risk of epilepsy-related death, reveals a new study.
Epilepsy patients are known to be at a higher risk of early death than the general population. But the new study, presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Virtual Congress, found that patients in their early 20s and 30s at the highest risk of epilepsy-related death.
Young adults aged between 16 and 24 were found to have a six-fold increased risk of epilepsy-related death. According to the study, the most common causes of death were sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), aspiration pneumonia, cardiac arrest, congenital malformation and alcohol-related deaths.
However, it also found that 78 per cent of epilepsy-related deaths are potentially avoidable for under the age of 55 years. The researchers from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland suggested that understanding the risk factors, and identifying those that could be prevented, might lead to fewer epilepsy-related deaths.
Epilepsy is a chronic disease of the brain that causes seizures, commonly known as fits. Epilepsy may be caused due to previous injury to the brain or genetic factors, but neurologists have also found occurrence of recurrent seizures in healthy individuals too. The causes are not known in most cases.
According to experts, a seizure occurs when the brain's electrical rhythms become imbalanced. Sudden and synchronized bursts of electrical energy disrupt the normal electrical pattern in the brain that lead to seizures.
The symptoms of a seizure depend on which part of the brain the abnormal electrical signals occur. The most common symptom is convulsion, in which the patient loses consciousness, collapses, and has rhythmic jerking of arms and legs. The person may also bite his/her tongue or lose control of bowel or bladder. After the convulsion stops, the patient may feel sleepy and confused for some time.
Some seizures may cause involuntary muscle movements, odd sensations, or sometimes even hallucinations. Sometimes a seizure may just be a change in the patient's behaviour that looks intentional but is not. For example, lip smacking, picking at clothes, etc.
Though the exact cause of epilepsy is usually not known in most cases, certain factors can provoke seizures in epilepsy patients. These include
People with epilepsy should try to avoid these triggers to prevent seizures from occurring. For women with epilepsy, seizures occur more around the time of their menstrual periods. Your doctor may recommend changing or adding certain drugs during menstrual periods to avoid seizures.
If you witness a person having seizure, call an ambulance. You can do anything to stop a seizure once it starts, you can protect the patient from injury by taking a few steps. You can do these before the medical team arrives.
