It's easy to be mistaken for a sleep disorder, so if you leave it unattended, there's a risk of complications such as 'Sudden death'
Sep 26, 2024
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-What kind of disease is 'epilepsy'?
▶ Epilepsy is a condition in which brain nerve cells temporarily cause excessive electrical excitation, causing seizures or spasms. If two or more of these seizures occur spontaneously repeatedly, it is defined as epilepsy.
-The prevalence of epilepsy has increased recently
▶The prevalence of epilepsy increased from 3.4 to 4.8 per 1,000 people between 2009 and 2017. In particular, as we entered an aging society, the prevalence of the elderly aged 75 or older was remarkable.
-What are the main symptoms of epilepsy?
▶ Epilepsy symptoms appear largely as general seizures and partial seizures depending on the area and intensity of the brain where abnormal electrical signals are generated. Systemic seizures include loss of consciousness, general stiffness, regular tremor symptoms and cyanosis of limbs, and can bite the tongue or make urine mistakes. Partial seizures can lead to symptoms of one face, arms, and legs being stiff and clanking without loss of consciousness. Abnormal electrical signals from one side of the brain spread throughout the brain, leading to general seizures. In addition to motor symptoms, abnormal senses such as sight, hearing, smell, and discomfort may appear.
What is the main cause of epilepsy?
▶The causes of epilepsy are largely structural, genetic, infectious, metabolic, and immune abnormalities. In children, heredity, birth defects, developmental disorders, central nervous system infections, and neuronal migration disorders are the main causes. In adolescence, it is often idiopathic, and in adults, there are many structural causes such as cerebrovascular disease, brain tumors, central nervous system damage, and degenerative brain disease. More than half of all patients have unclear causes.
One of the biggest misunderstandings about epilepsy is the misunderstanding that it occurs naturally and only occurs at a young age. However, epilepsy can occur at all ages.
- What complications can occur when untreated?
▶If epilepsy is not treated, repeated seizures can lead to physical damage and psychological problems. In addition, in severe cases, if the seizure lasts for more than 5 minutes and falls into a 'Encephalopathy persistence' that does not restore consciousness, serious brain damage can occur and can lead to 'Encephalopathy sudden death'.
- How do you diagnose it?
▶ It is done through a patient's questionnaire and medical history, physical and neurological examination, electroencephalography, and brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Epilepsy can be diagnosed if non-volatile seizures that occur without any specific trigger appear more than twice at intervals of more than 24 hours. Even in the case of one other non-volatile seizure, if the risk of recurrence within 10 years is more than 60%, it can be diagnosed as epilepsy.
It is important to discriminate between fainting, transient ischemia, and psychogenic seizures that look similar to epileptic seizures.
- How do you treat it?
▶The treatment of epilepsy is mainly medication. Taking drugs regularly can improve symptoms and lead to remission in about 70% of patients. At least 2 to 5 years of steady medication is required. If medication does not work, surgical treatment and neuromodulation therapy (American neurostimulation) can be performed. In the case of children, ketogenic diet can be combined.
If epilepsy seizures first appear, but no abnormalities appear, the progress can be observed without medication. If two or more non-volatile seizures occur, medication is performed first. However, ▲ if seizure waves are observed in brain waves even after first seizure, ▲ if structural abnormalities are observed in brain images, ▲ if neurological abnormalities are observed in brain images, ▲ if there is a family history of epilepsy seizures, ▲ if there is a past history of brain infection or trauma accompanied by loss of consciousness, ▲ if there is currently an active brain infection, ▲ if the first seizure is 'epilepsy persistence', medication is initiated.
What are the daily living rules of the patient with epilepsy?
▶ Since anticonvulsants must be maintained at a certain concentration in the blood to be effective, regular drug use is the most important. In addition, lack of sleep can cause seizures, so you should get at least 7 to 8 hours of regular and sufficient sleep. Excessive drinking also causes seizures, so don't drink alcohol. Considering the possibility of seizures, it is recommended to avoid dangerous places or objects such as hot water, sharp knives, and underwater.
Professor Yoon Ji-eun said "It is important to correct the wrong perception of epilepsy. Epilepsy patients can live a normal work life as well as daily life, and epilepsy is a neurological disease, not a mental disease. "It is important for patients not to blame themselves or get frustrated, but to continue to take drugs and receive regular treatment."
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bellho@sportschosun.com
