More than two million Indians have epilepsy or seizures. Each year, about 200,000 new cases are found. Most people with epilepsy can expect to get their seizures under control if they get a correct diagnosis and treatment. A comprehensive epilepsy center may help people who have seizures that keep happening or haven’t been diagnosed with seizures yet.
What distinguishes an epileptic seizure from epilepsy?
The irregular electrical activity in the brain causes seizures in isolated episodes. Medications might induce adverse reactions, leading to seizures, but that’s only one example of many potential triggers. By contrast, epilepsy is a neurological illness that lasts for a long time and results in recurrent seizure activity.
Understanding the difference between a simple seizure and epilepsy is crucial for treating both conditions effectively.
What is referred to as a seizure?
The brain can function using electrical signals transmitted along nerve cells. An alteration or disruption of these signals can bring on an epileptic fit.
There is a broad spectrum of seizure types and various causes. If you’ve had two or more seizures in a short period, your doctor may diagnose you with epilepsy.
While seizures are the most prominent sign of epilepsy, many other conditions might bring similar symptoms.
Seizures that are not caused by epilepsy are called nonepileptic seizures. An electrical malfunction in the brain causes not all types of seizure disorders.
- Fever
- Head injuries
- Infections like meningitis
- Choking
- Alcohol withdrawal
- Drug withdrawal
- High blood pressure
- Kidney or liver failure
- Low blood sugar levels
- Stroke
- Brain tumors
Epilepsy – Here is what it is referred to as.
The medical term for someone with seizures frequently throughout their lives is epilepsy. These seizures are classified as nonepileptic when they are linked to another event, such as drug or alcohol withdrawal, and the underlying cause is addressed.
However, an unprovoked seizure is the outcome of irregular or inexplicable electrical impulses in the brain, and it is classified as such when no obvious explanation can be found. Consult a neurology specialist in Coimbatore if you are dealing with epilepsy symptoms.
The different types of epilepsy can include:
Progressive myoclonic epilepsy:
This includes several rare metabolic disorders that are usually passed down through families. Typically, this condition begins in late childhood or early adolescence. It is marked by seizures, myoclonus, and weakness that worsen over time.
Refractory epilepsy:
Your epilepsy may be called “refractory” if your seizures keep happening even though you are taking medicine.
Reflex epilepsy:
With these kinds of epilepsy, seizures are caused by things like feelings, changes in temperature, or bright lights.
How is epilepsy different from seizures?
Epilepsy is a disorder that causes people to have seizures all the time. Epilepsy is usually diagnosed when:
There is no other cause for seizures, like a head injury or an infection.
A person must have at least two seizures at least 24 hours apart. Multiple seizures in one day do not mean that someone has epilepsy.
Electricity tests of the brain show that the symptoms are seizures.
There is some grey area between how epilepsy is defined and the diagnostic criteria used to label someone with the disorder. On the other hand, getting a proper diagnosis is crucial since other medical disorders can induce seizures, and some of them can be fatal.
A thorough medical history, including details about each seizure, underlying health issues, and recent illnesses or head injuries, should be provided to an Epilepsy Specialist Doctor after a person experiences their first seizure or seizures.
The similarities of seizures and epilepsy:
Many factors are shared between epileptic seizures and other types of seizures.
The specific seizure symptoms may be identical. The symptoms alone cannot be used to differentiate epilepsy from other seizure conditions.
Injury from falling, being involved in a car accident, or passing out is more likely to occur in people with epilepsy or any illness that causes seizures.
Seizures, whether caused by epilepsy or anything else, rarely pose significant health risks. If a seizure lasts more than five minutes or results in physical harm, medical attention from an epilepsy treatment specialist in Coimbatore is required.
Doctors need to consider the possibility that a patient has epilepsy and other illnesses that produce seizures.
Epilepsy – here are the treatment options:
There is no one ideal treatment for epilepsy, and many different drugs are utilized to manage seizure activity. Finding the correct medication to manage your particular type of seizure will require your doctor to perform specific tests.
Surgery, such as vagus nerve stimulation, may also be used to avoid seizures, especially if a brain mass or fluid buildup is to blame. To use surgery to treat your seizures, your doctor will need to pinpoint the area of your brain where they are first emerging. Consult your specialist to understand the Epilepsy Surgery Cost in your city.
Outlook of the condition:
Seizures produced by epilepsy are triggered by irregular brain electrical activity and can lead to a loss of awareness, motor skills, and consciousness. To determine what is causing your seizures, your doctor may need to run a battery of tests, and you may need to try out a few different drugs.
A person’s surroundings need to be prepared for a seizure to ensure their safety. Reach out to a seizure treatment hospital in Coimbatore to undergo treatment for your condition.
