The Consequences of Epilepsy Essay

Seizures or epilepsy are brain disorders where the person has repeated convulsions over a period of time. They’re episodes of disturbed brain activity that cause changes in attention and behavior. Seizures are considered the most common observed neurological dysfunction in children. They are very sudden intermittent episodes of altered consciousness lasting seconds to minutes and include involuntary tonic (stiffening of muscles) and clonic (altering contraction and relaxation of muscles) movements.

Treatment for epilepsy is often focused on controlling the seizures with the least amount of medication as possible. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the class used to accomplish this. Some of the AEDs that are used most often are Clonazepam, Diazepam, Divalproex, Gabapentin, and Phenytoin. The most common side effects of these medications include nausea, vomiting, sedation, fatigue, and lethargy. (Kwan,1; Benbadis, 3-5; Huethers,637)

Epilepsy is a disorder that anyone can get. Epilepsy happens in the AREGEF2 Gene, this can lead to a condition called Periventricular Heterotopia, in which brain cells, belong in the cortex are along the ventricles. Major causes that can lead to Epilepsy are head injuries or the disorder can get passed down through genetics. The symptoms of Epilepsy are: Whole body: Fainting or Fatigue, Muscular: Rhythmic muscle contractions, or muscle spasms, Sensory: Aura, or pins, and needles, Also common symptoms: Seizures, amnesia, anxiety, depression, headaches, sleepiness, staring spells, or temporary paralysis after a seizure.

Epilepsy is due to an upset in brain chemistry, which means that the messages that travel between nerve cells or neurons become scrambled. Because of this, the activity of neurons is disturbed and results in a seizure or loss of consciousness. Many types of seizure can occur and epilepsy can affect anyone at any age.

When I was just seven-years old, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I’d been having small and frequent seizures my entire life without ever knowing of it until one day when I was shelling walnuts in front of the fireplace. Everything I ever knew was being stripped away from me. I no longer had control over any of the muscles in my body, my ability to speak, my actions, nor my sight. All I could do was relax and wait for my brain to catch up and regain control over my body. My life has been changed by epilepsy, but I will never let it control my life.

Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which individuals have recurrent seizures. Seizures can occur in children and adults of any age. There are around 50 million people in the world who has the disorder. Individuals in developing countries are at a higher risk for developing the disorder. Seizures occur due to hyper-excitability and hyper-synchronization of neurons. Action potential transmits messages and it leads to depolarization. When neurons are uncontrollably depolarizes because of hyper-excitability due to too little inhibition, it cause a seizure. Seizures can last from a few seconds to a few minutes. As spontaneously they can develop is also as fast and spontaneous they can end.

When many people think of epilepsy they think of someone falling on the ground shaking and jerking uncontrollably and the thought makes them uncomfortable. Some believe bystanders should put a wooden spoon in the mouth of the one having a seizure and hold them down. These are both misconceptions. Most people think that epilepsy and seizures are the same, this information is also incorrect. Epilepsy is an often misinterpreted disorder. To better understand the disorder and the lives of people with Ep more information and education is needed.

Problems that may occur when a person has seizures are that they will have a mind of a little child, this means that when a person has seizures they do not act like themselves they act like a three or four year old. Even though they maybe a child they will have a younger understanding of things. People with seizures may also have a learning disorder, which is a disorder that people have when they do not understand like school work or they do not understand their level of work, or they can understand but not understand clearly. They can have seizures for a lifelong time. People with seizures can not drive, because they can be driving,have a seizure, and they can be injured bad and that could cause of death. The problems that a person can have when they have seizures can be really serious.

a small amount of spinal fluid can be then removed and tested to determine if there is some type of infection or other underlying medical problems. Lumbar Puncture can also be used to measure the pressure of the spinal canal and measure the brain. Research has shown that the cell membrane that surrounds every neuron has an important role in Epilepsy, these membranes are responsible for the neurons to generate an electrical impulse and for some reason when the brain attempts to repair itself after head trauma, stroke, or another problem that may generate atypical nerve connections that will lead to Epilepsy. Studies in animals have also provided that because the brain constantly adapts to changes in a small change in neurological activity, if repeated this may increase the chances of a full blown epileptic attack. Anomalies in the brain connections that happen while the brain develops may also disrupt neurological activity which could lead to Epilepsy. Research has also shown that the repeated attacks of the temporal lobe can cause the hippocampus to shrink, the hippocampus is responsible for learning and memorization, but it may however take years for such a seizure attack to do significant

Any type of brain disease can cause epilepsy; it also can develop as a result of brain damage from other disorders. For example, brain tumors, alcoholism, and Alzheimer's disease often cause epilepsy because they change the way brain usually works. Strokes, heart attacks, and other conditions that deprive the brain of oxygen also can sometimes cause epilepsy. Other more rare causes of epilepsy are prenatal injuries that come about from poor nutrition or maternal infections; poisoning by lead or carbon monoxide; or overdose of prescription antidepressants or street drugs. There are still many patients for whom the cause of their epilepsy cannot be identified (idiopathic epilepsy).

There are many causes of seizures in children and sometimes the cause is not known.

People uneducated about Epilepsy may have confused thoughts on what it really is. People have these "notions," which are partly or entirely not true. So, throughout this research paper, these notions will be proven untrue, mostly by factual information given by

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.

The cause of all seizures is unclear, but doctors have come up with some reasons why they may occur. Common forms of generalized epilepsy, absence attacks, and tonic-clonic seizures are sometimes caused because of an inherited instability. This is where the inherited instability in functioning of neurones is responsible for these disorders. It is still not understood just how this genetic defect works, it could be the abnormality is in the structure of the neurone's outer membrance, which could cause electrical instability.

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.