What is Epilepsy? What are the Symptoms of Epilepsy?

What is Epilepsy? What are the Symptoms of Epilepsy?

Epilepsy has come quite a distance since doctors first recognized it as a medical disorder. It may sound strange that during the Salem witch trials, epileptic patients were thought to either be witches, or have been cursed by a witch. Some were even burned as the townspeople watched; convinced the devil or a witch's spirit was within them. Some parents felt that isolating their epileptic child was the only means of dealing with the medical disorder.

Small one-room facilities were built in many cases, separate from the home to house family members with seizures, even children. As institutions were built and introduced into society, many epileptic patients were ordered to be institutionalized, and lived out their lives under lock and key. For a number of years, epileptic patients were banned from even getting married. Society simply viewed this as something other than a brain disorder.

In 1893 the first clinic for epileptics was opened in Ohio, and the condition began to take shape and be recognized as an actual medical condition. It took a group of doctors 5 years to convince the general medical professional population that epilepsy was in fact a physical brain disorder. Since then, the study of epilepsy has become a medical specialty.

As you treat epileptic patients, keep the following information in mind.

Related: Terminal Patients and Families What exactly is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder that causes unprovoked recurrent seizures. A seizure is a rush of electrical activity in the brain. There are two types of seizures, generalized seizures and focal seizures. Generalized seizures affect the entire brain, focal seizures affects only a portion. It may be hard to even detect a mild seizure, it may come across that the person is not paying attention to the conversation at hand. Stronger seizures can cause body spasms and uncontrollable muscle twitches. These seizures can last from seconds to minutes. The person may lose consciousness, and afterwards they may not recall what happened.

Epilepsy currently affects 65 million people in the world. Epilepsy is more common in young people and older adults, with it affecting slightly more males than females. There is no cure for epilepsy, however, most cases can be managed with medications.

Symptoms of Epilepsy Seizures are the main component of epilepsy, although symptoms differ person to person. A partial seizure does not involve loss of consciousness.

Symptoms include Inability to sense taste, smell, sight, hearing, or touch.  Dizziness  Tingling and twitching of arms or legs  Staring blankly  Unresponsiveness  Making repetitive movements or statements Generalized Seizures involve the entire brain, there are six types of these seizures Absence seizures may create a blank stare, or excessive blinking or smacking of lips. There may also be a short time span that there is a lack of awareness. Atonic seizures can make the body lose control, and the person can fall. Clonic seizures can create jerky muscle movements of face, arm, or neck. Myoclonic seizures cause twitching of arms and legs. Tonic-clonic seizures can cause Stiffening of the body  shaking  Loss of bladder or bowel control  biting of the tongue  Loss of consciousness This type of seizure can cause the body to feel sore, with flu like symptoms for hours. Most often a person does not remember having the seizure, they just know that they don't feel well.

Related: Preventing Dry Chapped Hands Some people can identify things that cause a seizure. Some of the common triggers are• Lack of sleep • Illness or fever • Stress • Bright lights, flashing lights, or patterns • Caffeine, alcohol, medicines, or drugs • skipping meals, overeating, or specific food ingredients

It is often difficult to recognize triggers, it can be as simple as a certain light.

It can be a combination of things that trigger a seizure, and it may be a good idea to keep a seizure Journal. Note the following• day and time • what activity you were involved in • what was happening around you • unusual sights, smells, or sounds • unusual stressors • what you were eating or how long it had been since you’d eaten • your level of fatigue and how well you slept the night before Epilepsy does run in families, however the risk is between siblings, and there is no evidence that epilepsy is passed from parent to child. The risks of developing epilepsy by adulthood are approximately 1 in 100. Epilepsy can also come from a stroke or other brain injury. Epilepsy in itself does not affect the ability to have children, however, certain drugs to treat epilepsy can cause harm to an unborn baby.

While generally not considered a fatal condition, epilepsy can be very difficult for a person to live with. It may halt their ability to operate a motor vehicle, and for parents of small children, it may limit their ability care for them on their own. When seizures are unpredictable, it can put limitations on life in general. There are drugs than can control most seizures, however not all. There are also new discoveries, involving seizures that include surgery on the brain. While this may not sound serious, for someone that is limited due to seizures it may be a last effort to get their medical condition under control.

Related: Leading Nurse Anesthetist Rosalind Boyer-Cole, MSN-CRNA to be Published in the Worldwide Leaders in Healthcare as New Member of the International Nurses Association Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest and Twitter