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Causes of Epilepsy
A seizure indicates that a part of the brain is not functioning normally. It can be
due to many reasons such as infections of the brain, injuries to the brain, and birth
injuries to the brain, tumours, blood clots etc. In some cases, the doctors might be
unable to detect the cause of the seizures. In very rare cases, the seizures may also
be due to genetic factors.
Seizures and epilepsy are of two basic types: Focal or Partial Epilepsy and
Generalized Epilepsy. When the seizure involves an electrical abnormality in a part
of the brain, it is called focal or partial epilepsy and the term applies to epilepsy as
well. When it involves the entire brain right from the beginning, it is referred to as
a generalized seizure or epilepsy. Sometimes, the seizures may not cause any
symptoms, and these are known as sub-clinical seizures.
In a partial seizure, the epileptic activity takes place in just a part of the patient’s
brain. The seizures are usually named according to the area of the brain in which
they originate, for example, focal frontal lobe seizures. There are two types of
partial seizures:
Generalized Seizures
It occurs when both the hemispheres of the brain have an epileptic activity. It is a
result of abnormal neural activity in both the halves of the brain. A person loses
consciousness during the seizure. There are six types of generalized seizures:
During a seizure, the immediate priority is the safety of the patient. The patient
must be made to lie horizontally on to one side. This causes any secretions of the
mouth to come out and prevents suffocation. Patients often jerk violently during
seizure. In such cases, the patient must be supported on to one side, either the right
or the left, and it should be ensured that he/she does not strike against any furniture
or the walls which may result in an injury. No attempt should be made to try and
forcibly restrain the jerking, as this may result in injuries to the patient, tear in the
muscles or ligaments or even dislocations of the joints. No attempt should be made
to prevent a person from biting the tongue during a seizure, even if results in
bleeding. Trying to do so by inserting fingers, cloth or spoon between the teeth, or
trying to pry open the mouth actually leads to injury of the teeth, gums, jaws, or
may even end up suffocating the patient. During a seizure, nothing should be given
to the patient by mouth, such as water, juice, sugar etc. This is because, during and
after a seizure, the patient is unable to swallow properly and the food particles may
end up in the throat or the lungs, resulting in respiratory infections.
Sleep is the first line of defence against seizures and epilepsy, so a person must get
adequate sleep of about -8 hours regularly. Patients must also take their meals
regularly. They should never miss their medicines. Each medicine has a specific
duration of action beyond which the protection diminishes, so all medicines need
to be taken at regular intervals. Alcohol must be avoided as it can trigger seizures.
Seizures are unpredictable and they may occur even while on treatment. Therefore,
a person should be well aware of his/her surroundings from the safety aspect and
not indulge in any activity wherein a seizure may result in a grievous injury. As
per Indian laws, any person with epilepsy or seizure is prohibited from driving and
their license will be suspended once a diagnosis of seizure or epilepsy has been
confirmed.
There are many tests to determine whether a person has epilepsy and the kind of
seizures he/she is experiencing. The tests to be conducted depend on the medical
history and symptoms of the patient. Blood tests may be conducted to detect for
signs of infectious diseases, liver and kidney function and blood glucose levels.