Juliana Lopez
Honors Biology
Period 4
May 13, 2016
Epilepsy (rough draft) More than 200,000 Americans have epilepsy. Epilepsy a neurological disorder in which nerve cells are disturbed that then produces seizures. There are different types of seizures: convulsive and non-convulsive. In convulsive seizures an abnormal brain activity occurs. The person loses control and can become unconscious. The person will also move their limbs vigorously. In non-convulsive seizures the person will space out and not be aware of their surroundings. Seizures usually last up to 5 minutes. There are many ways to treat epilepsy. The most common way of treatment is through medication. These medications are anticonvulsant drugs. There are many factors that need
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My aunt, Petra (45), currently struggles with epilepsy. My great-uncle and cousin, Ester (6), also struggled with epilepsy. When growing up, my aunt did not get the proper treatment for her disorder. Now as an adult she receives the proper medication for her needs. When she was younger she would have convulsive seizures very often. Now she only has seizures when she depressed or doesn’t take her medication. My cousin is only 6 years old. She was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 2 years old. The doctors immediately treated her with the appropriate medication and has been seizure free for 2 years. My family seems to show that we can genetically inherit epilepsy. There are different ways a child can develop epilepsy. Head injuries and traumas can cause the development of epilepsy. Brain injuries can either happen when not enough oxygen travels to the brain or when impacted very hard in the head. The child will usually have at least one seizure in the first week of the injury. The seizures that come from this are called post-traumatic seizures. In the brain the neuron’s axon is stretched and injured. This causes an interruption in the communication with other parts of the brain. This interruption makes the nerve cells react inappropriately and cause …show more content…
Research to see how it is transferred has been done. The project Epilepsy Phenome/Genome had taken people to study epilepsy and genetics. The articles states, “Since 2007, when the project began, its team of several hundred physicians and staff has collected blood samples and clinical information from more than 4,000 patients with epilepsy and their family members.” The DNA in the blood was studied. The researchers also linked different conditions and tied them to epilepsy. One example is, “For more common types of epilepsy, including the two investigated in this study -- infantile spasms and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome -- the condition is thought to arise from a combination of inherited mutations and random mutations that occur after birth, called de novo mutations. Identifying these de novo mutations is critical to understanding why some people with a family risk of the disease never develop it, while others do, and why certain medications are more effective in some patients than others.” By the end, researchers had found some evidence. “The study analysis revealed de novo (random) mutations on nine specific genes with four mutations being completely new ones never before associated with epilepsy.” Genetically inheritance of epilepsy is usually associated with children because it is detected in the early years of life. Adults can also have epilepsy because it was genetically inherited but usually by the time they are adults they
Before thorough medical research on epilepsy, it was thought to be a demonic entity causing the sudden movements. With scientific advancements, epilepsy can be characterized as a condition that affects the nervous system through a series of seizures. Within the brain presents abnormalities that cause convulsions throughout the body. Epilepsy can be broken down into two types and further specified by key symptoms the individual faces during an epileptic episode. There is no single cause for epilepsy; many factors such as genetics and traumatic injuries can trigger seizures, which can develop into a type of epilepsy syndrome. This condition cannot be cured, but can be treated through a series of medications after diagnosing the specific type of epilepsy. Individuals diagnosed with epilepsy will more than likely live with the condition throughout their entire life, leading them to change or add to their lifestyle to accommodate this condition. Charitable organization have benefited the epileptic community by raising awareness and conducting studies to find better treatments.
Epilepsy is not what you think. It is a complicated disease, a disease that doesn't just affect one type of person or age. Over fifty million men, women, and children cope with this disease daily. Epilepsy is a mysterious disease to those who are unfamiliar and uneducated about the disease. Many people have preconceived notions about Epileptics. Researching the topic thoroughly, the five preconceived notions I explored have been proven to be false.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder having to do with abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Often times, people who suffer from epilepsy tend to have frequent seizures. These seizures happen due to an overwhelming amount of electrical activity in the brain. This electrical activity can make you lose control of your body movement, functions, and awareness. “About fifty million people worldwide are said to be affected by epilepsy and seizures.”
Epilepsy is a disorder where nerve cell activity in the brain becomes disturbed. This activity causes sporadic electrical “storms” in the brain called seizures. During seizures, people experience unusual behavior and symptoms. There are two major types of epilepsy, idiopathic/cryptogenic, symptomatic. Both of these have different causes and affect the body and mind in particular ways.
Epilepsy refers to a seizure disorder where the central nervous system does not function properly. It is a neurological disorder. It is when nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures. There is no cure for epilepsy, but there are treatments to help limit the number of seizures. Most people that have epilepsy live normal lives with some or no restrictions. Most people outgrow their seizures once they get to adulthood. Seventy percent of people with epilepsy are diagnosed before the age of twenty and thirty percent develop a seizure disorder after the age of twenty. Understanding epilepsy’s origin, symptoms, diagnosis process, treatment options, and effects on daily life will eventually lead to a cure.
If one twin has idiopathic Epilepsy the identical twin is very likely to have it as well.” If women have children the child will have a higher chance of getting Epilepsy. If men have children the child will have a less chance of getting Epilepsy.From the website aboutkidshealth, “Genetic disorders can cause Epilepsy alone or can result in a syndrome with a number of different effects on the organs and functions of the body including Epilepsy. Two children with mutations on different genes may develop the same Epilepsy syndrome.” Two members of the same family with the same gene mutation may both develop Epilepsy but the effects in each each person may be different. From the website aboutkidshealth, “Some Epilepsy syndromes are known to have a genetic basis but the specific gene or genes that cause them have not been identified. The field of Epilepsy genetics is expanding rapidly and new genes involved in Epilepsy are identified frequently.”Many genes have an effect on brain development. From the website aboutkidshealth, “Changes in even one of these genes affect how the brain
Epilepsy is extremely common all around the globe and the true cause has yet to be found after years of
Epilepsy is a condition in which the afflicted person experiences recurrent seizures, of which there are many varieties. These seizures have many causes (but the mechanism of some of these causes are still unknown) and treatment options. In some cases they can even be completely controlled. However, when they are not controlled it is very important to react in the correct way otherwise there is a risk of further endangering the patient who is having a seizure.
Because of this I thought that it was a very common disease in the United States. I have had a seizure myself just last year, but since it was just the first time, there was no reason to visit a doctor. After some research, I discovered that the incidence rate of epilepsy in America today is approximately 150,000. It is higher in children and older adults. After about the age of ten years old, the amount of new cases tends to level out until around seventy years old. The prevalence of epilepsy in America today is about 2.2 million people (epilepsy). I have not discovered any trends relating epilepsy to race or geographic regions. Many times those that are affected by this disease have no reason so it can affect any
Epilepsy For my research paper I had to study and research the disease or disorder that is epilepsy. Epilepsy is a brain disorder by enduring of predisposition to seizures is a neurological disorder consisting of recurring seizures that result in excessive uncontrolled electrical activity in the brain (Kelly, 2015 ) awareness of the brain disorder has been altered because people I have not really spoken up about having this disorder therefore rendering people's knowledge of epilepsy The research of epilepsy began in 1800 with three neurologists Russell Reynolds, John Jackson and Sir William Richard Gowers (Rose, 1999). The definition of seizures is "an occasional excessive and disorderly discharge of nerve tissue on the muscles" this definition
Epilepsy, also called seizure disorder, chronic brain disorder that briefly interrupts the normal electrical activity of the brain to cause seizures, characterized by a variety of symptoms including uncontrolled movements of the body, disorientation or confusion, sudden fear, or loss of consciousness. Epilepsy may result from a head injury, stroke, brain tumor, lead poisoning, genetic conditions, or severe infections like meningitis or encephalitis. In over 70 percent of cases no cause for epilepsy were identified. About 1 percent of the world population, or over 2 million people, are diagnosed with epilepsy.
Epilepsy can happen to anyone of any age. The largest(47%) percent of people, developing epilepsy for the first time, being children from birth to nine years of age. The next largest age group would be ten year olds to ninteen year olds at 30%. The least amount of first time seizures comes from the forty plus age group. (According to EFA publications) Over 2.5 million people suffer from epilepsy. The international league against epilepsy describes a seizure as an alternative term for "epileptic attack". Seizures vary in there length and severity. A "tonic-clonic" seizure can last for one to seven minutes. " Absence seizures usually last for a few seconds. However, complex partial seizure" may last for thirty seconds or two
Epilepsy is not a disease but is a sign in various diseases then the treatment is the treatment of etiology.
Epilepsy is the word used to describe a tendency to episodes , in which a variety of clinical phenomena may occur , caused by abnormal electrical discharge in the brain, between which the patient is his normal self. Other causes include metabolic abnormalities , drug and structural brine disease such as tumor , encephalitis , infection or head injury . In many patients there is a combination of mechanisms seizures may be broadly classified as : partial seizures , generalized seizures , unclassified . (3)
Epilepsy is a condition in which a person has two or more seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. Epilepsy is one of the oldest conditions of the human race. Epilepsy Awareness is important because Epilepsy is a widely misunderstood disorder. The reason that Epilepsy has been misunderstood has been mainly due to research not being conducted until the middle of the nineteenth century. There are six main types of seizures and many treatments that can assist an epileptic patient. Many facts and myths exist about a person who has Epilepsy, which, is why it is an important disorder to understand. A person living with Epilepsy can typically have a normal life after seeking medical advice from doctors.