Epilepsy – Causes, Diagnosis, And Treatment

Epilepsy is a neurological condition in which brain activity becomes aberrant, resulting in seizures or episodes of odd behavior, feelings, and occasionally loss of awareness. In India, both men and women suffer from epilepsy. It is advisable to get treatment for epilepsy from a neurosurgeon in India.

The causes of epilepsy, as well as its diagnosis and treatment, are discussed in this article.

Epilepsy is caused by a variety of factors. It develops because of the following factors.

• Genetics: One of the causes of epilepsy is genetic factors. Certain genes make one more prone to epilepsy.
• Head trauma: Injury to the head might result in epilepsy.
• Brain issues: Epilepsy can be caused by brain tumors and strokes.
• Infectious disorders: Epilepsy can be caused by infectious disorders such as meningitis, AIDS, and viral encephalitis.
• Prenatal injury: Epilepsy can be caused by brain damage that occurs before birth.

Epilepsy is caused by several risk factors. The following are the details:

• Age: Epilepsy is more common in children and elderly adults.
• Epilepsy in the family: If epilepsy runs in your family, there’s a good chance you’ll have it as well.
• Head injuries: People who have suffered a head injury are more likely to develop epilepsy.
• Infectious disorders: Infectious disorders such as meningitis and AIDS can raise the risk of epilepsy.

Epilepsy is diagnosed in a variety of ways.

In India, your doctor may recommend various tests to diagnose epilepsy, such as blood testing and a neurological exam. Your neurosurgeon in India may also recommend that you undergo the following tests to diagnose brain disorders.

• Electroencephalogram (EEG): In an ECG, Electrodes are connected to your scalp with a paste-like substance or a cap. The electrodes capture your brain’s electrical activity.

• CT scan (computerized tomography): A CT scan is a type of imaging that employs X-rays to create cross-sectional images of your brain. CT scans can detect brain abnormalities such as tumors, and cysts that could be causing your seizures.

• MRI magnetic resonance imaging: An MRI creates a precise image of your brain using powerful magnets and radio waves. Your doctor might be able to detect brain lesions or abnormalities that are causing your seizures.

• Positron emission tomography (PET): PET scans examine active parts of the brain and detect abnormalities by injecting a small amount of low-dose radioactive material into a vein.

• Neuropsychological evaluations: These help to evaluate your thinking, memory, and communication abilities. Doctors can use the test results to figure out which parts of your brain are impacted.

Your doctor in India may employ a mix of analytical techniques, such as Statistical parametric mapping (SPM) and Magnetoencephalography (MEG), in addition to your test results, to help determine where in the brain seizures begin.

The next step after an epilepsy diagnosis is epilepsy treatment. Your neurosurgeon in India will employ the following therapeutic methods to treat epilepsy.

Medications: To treat epilepsy, your surgeon in India will prescribe anti-epileptic medications. It can be difficult to find the proper drug and dosage. When deciding which medication to prescribe, your doctor in India will consider your condition, the frequency of your seizures, your age, and other considerations. Your doctor will also go over any other medications you’re taking to make sure they don’t interact with the anti-epileptic drugs.

Anti-seizure drugs can have a variety of side effects, including:

• Drowsiness
• Increase in body weight
• A rash on the skin
• Speech difficulties
• Memory issues are a common occurrence.

To get the best effects from your medicines, you must take them as prescribed by your specialist in India and not stop taking them without visiting your doctor.

Surgical Interventions: If medication fails to manage seizures adequately, surgery may be an alternative. A surgeon removes the part of your brain that causes seizures during epilepsy surgery. Surgery is performed when tests reveal that:

• The source of your seizures is a limited, well-defined area of your brain.
• The operation area in your brain does not interfere with important functions including speech, language, motor function, vision, or hearing.

Other treatment options: These prospective treatments, in addition to drugs and surgery, offer an alternative to treating epilepsy:

• The stimulation of the vagus nerve. Doctors implant a device called a vagus nerve stimulator beneath the skin of your chest, like a heart pacemaker, in vagus nerve stimulation. The vagus nerve in your neck is attached to wires from the stimulator.

The battery-operated device sends electrical energy bursts to your brain via the vagus nerve. It’s unclear how the device prevents seizures, but it can usually cut seizures by 20 to 40%. Vagus nerve stimulation may cause side symptoms such as throat soreness, hoarseness, shortness of breath, or coughing.

The ketogenic diet is a diet with high-fat, and low-carbohydrate. Some children with epilepsy have been able to lessen their seizures by adhering to a rigorous low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet.

This article taught us about epilepsy’s various causes, diagnoses, and treatments. To live a life free of epilepsy, it is advisable to seek treatment from the top neurologist in India.