Epilepsy

 Itmeans seizure or a ‘state’
 A sudden episode of neurologic symptoms
such as involuntary muscle movements,
sensory disturbances and altered
consciousness level.
 A seizure is caused by abnormal electrical
activity in the brain, which is often
diagnosed on an electroencephalogram

Partial seizures (Focal seizures): Partial
seizures may be divided into simple and
complex seizures.
This refers to the effect of such a seizure on
consciousness;
simple seizures cause no interruption to
consciousness, whereas complex seizures
interrupt consciousness to varying degrees

 Generalized seizures: Primarily generalized
seizures can be sub-classified into a number
of categories, depending on their behavioural
effects
 Absence seizures (Petit mal): involve an
interruption to consciousness where the
person experiencing the seizure seems to
become vacant and unresponsive for a short
period of time (usually up to 30 seconds).
Slight muscle twitching may occur. It is
classified as:
1 Typical absence seizures
2 Atypical absence seizures

 Myoclonic seizures: involve an extremely brief (< 0.1
second) muscle contraction and can result in jerky
movements of muscles or muscle groups.
 Clonic seizures: are myoclonus that are regularly repeating
at a rate typically of 2-3 per second
 Tonic–clonic seizures (Grand mal): involve an initial
contraction of the muscles (tonic phase) which may involve
tongue biting, urinary incontinence and the absence of
breathing. This is followed by rhythmic muscle contractions
(clonic phase).
 Atonic seizures: involve the loss of muscle tone, causing the
person to fall to the ground. These are sometimes called
'drop attacks' but should be distinguished from similar looking
attacks that may occur in narcolepsy or cataplexy.

 Birth injuries that occurs to the baby during
labor or childbirth
 Infections
 Trauma
 Genetic factors
 Fever (particularly in young children)
 Sometimes no cause can be identified. This is
called idiopathic seizures. They usually are
seen in children and young adults but can
occur at any age. There may be due to family
history of epilepsy or seizures

 Epilepsyor seizures is largely a disease of
younger people, approximately,three fourths
of the sufferers have occurred seizures
before 20 years of age

 Anorexia
 Hypoxia
 Drugs
 Alcohols
 CNS tumours
 CNS infection
 Family history
 Mental retardation
 Head trauma

 Loss of speech and hemiplegia
 Weight loss and edema
 Anorexia and insomnia
 Increased ICP
 Nausea and vomitting
 Drowsiness,depresssion and memory loss
 Nystagnous
 Ataxia and lethargy
 Pallor and cyanosis
 Loss of conciousness

 Tachycardia
 Bladder incontinence
 Cardiac arrest
 Fluid and electrolyte imbalance
 Hypoglycemia
 haemorhhage

 Health history
 Physical examination
 CT scan
 MRI
 X-ray
 Blood routines
 Urine analysis
 EEG

The
Electroencephalograph
(EEG)
This device measures
electrical activity (brain
"waves") that can be
detected at the surface
of the scalp. It is useful
in diagnosing brain
disorders such as
seizures

 Anticonvulsants;phenytoin sodium
 Carbamazepine (CBZ) is an anticonvulsant
and mood-stabilizing drug used primarily in
the treatment of epilepsy.
 Lorazepam
 Diazepam
 Sodium valporate

 Difficulty learning
 Breathing in food or saliva into the lungs
during a seizure, which can cause aspiration
pneumonia
 Permanent brain damage (stroke or other
damage)
 Injury from falls, bumps, self-inflicted bites,
driving or operating machinery during a
seizure

 Generally, there is no known way to prevent
epilepsy. However, proper diet and sleep, and
staying away from illegal drugs and alcohol, may
decrease the chance of seizures in people with
epilepsy.
 Reduce the risk of head injury by wearing
helmets during risky activities; this can help to
lessen the chance of developing epilepsy.
 Persons with uncontrolled seizures should not
drive.
 Patients having seizures,should also avoid
activities such as climbing to high places, biking,
and swimming alone.

Epilepsy

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