Are you at risk of epilepsy?

The national epilepsy week was celebrated from May 15 to 21 through a drive to sensitise people about the condition to help improve the lives of everyone affected by epilepsy. According to experts, epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain becomes disrupted, causing seizures, sensations and sometimes loss of consciousness. Dr Emmy Nkusi, a neurosurgeon at King Faisal Hospital, explains that epilepsy is a disease though it used to be referred to as a disorder. Epilepsy is not one disease, it’s a continuum of symptoms and signs. “By definition you can call it abnormal electric impulses happening in the brain that cause an abnormal reaction in different parts of the body. The problem happens in the brain but the reaction is seen in the different parts of the body,” he says. Dr Nkusi adds that, there is a misconception that epilepsy is contagious and because of this stigma patients don’t seek treatment, which affects their work and social life in general. “Epilepsy can be a generalised convulsion or it can be focal, by for instance, happening in the arm, leg or any other part of the body. “For one to say that somebody has epilepsy a couple of things have to be present. One is that you must have that abnormal impulse that has caused that reaction on the body happening at least twice with a separation of twenty four hours or more,” he says. To be called an epileptic seizure, Dr Nkusi adds, there shouldn’t be a provocative event, for instance, a case where someone drunk alcohol or they may get hypoglycemic. Other symptoms of epilepsy include uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs, loss of consciousness, psychic symptoms among others. Types of epilepsy Epilepsy or seizures are either generalised or focal as Dr Nkusi points out. He says that the most common form of epilepsy in terms of what people know is that where a person jerks; however there other kinds of epilepsy. Idiopathic epilepsy is that which is caused by genetic factors; these do not have a cause and they are the commonest. The other is symptomatic epilepsy, which is caused by extensive brain damage. Dr Nkusi says that for seizures with a cause, they are mostly triggered by incidences such as a head trauma, brain tumors and an infraction of the brain. It is such things that irritate the brain and leave something like a scar and that scar, in lay man’s language causes short circuiting because basically epileptic seizures are due to short circuiting in the brain, when electric impulses are not flowing normally like the way they are supposed to. Pork tape worms also cause epilepsy. Who is prone? The risk factors for epilepsy include head injuries, coming from a family lineage with relatives that are epileptic, people who eat pork infested with tape worms and patients who have had brain surgery for different reasons, among others. Dr Nkusi explains that children with brain fibroids are at risk of being epileptic and getting convulsions when they have fever, but they can outgrow this by the age of sixteen. If it goes beyond that age, chances are that they are going to become epileptic, he says. Treatment In terms of treatment, epilepsy is hard to treat because it cannot go away completely. Majority of the patients control it by taking medication daily, Dr Nkusi says. Surgery is also done, but in specific cases especially for the ones that have focal causes. “Surgery helps but doesn’t take it away completely; it reduces the number of seizures and it helps in subduing it. For people with focal seizures or epilepsy, chances are that the surgery is going to do well for them,” Dr Nkusi says. editorial@newtimes.co.rw ********************************************** What to do when one has a seizure According to research done by WebMD, seizures usually do not last more than 60 to 90 seconds. - When in reach of a person having a seizure, protect them from injury by keeping them from falling if you can, or try to guide the person gently to the floor. Try to move furniture or other objects that might injure the person during the seizure. - If the person is having a seizure and is on the ground when you arrive, try to position the person on his or her side so that fluid can leak out of the mouth. But be careful not to apply too much pressure to the body. - Do not force anything, including your fingers, into the person’s mouth. Putting something in the person’s mouth may cause injuries to him or her, such as chipped teeth or a fractured jaw. You could also get bitten. - Do not try to hold down or move the person. This can cause injury, such as a dislocated shoulder. - If the person is having trouble breathing, use your finger to gently clear his or her mouth of any vomit or saliva. If this does not work, call for emergency help. - Loosen tight clothing around the person’s neck and waist and provide a safe area where the person can rest. - Do not offer anything to eat or drink until the person is fully awake and alert, stay with the person until he or she is awake and familiar with the surroundings as most people will be sleepy or confused after a seizure. Agencies

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Are you at risk of epilepsy?