Diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy

This is an automatically translated article.

Epilepsy occurs when there is an abnormality in the brain that stimulates a group of cortical neurons at the same time, causing sudden and uncontrollable electrical discharges, causing the patient to appear consecutive convulsions, Loss of consciousness, lasting 5-10 minutes. Treatment of epilepsy is not difficult, but the patient needs to be detected, diagnosed and treated properly. The article will help readers understand more about epilepsy, how to diagnose and treat epilepsy.

1. Epilepsy is what disease?

Epilepsy is a chronic disease that occurs due to an abnormality in the brain, a disorder of the central nervous system, which makes the patient unable to control his thoughts, behavior and speech. Convulsions, limb spasms are the most obvious manifestations when a seizure occurs. In some cases, the convulsion lasts for a long time, and if not handled in time, the patient will lose consciousness completely.

2.Signs and symptoms of epilepsy

Having spasticity, convulsions in one part of the body, vision abnormalities, anxiety, fear for unknown reasons
Dizziness
If it is more severe, the patient has a temporary loss of consciousness, unknown Epilepsy is happening, eyes are wide, face is numb, do unconscious actions such as rubbing hands, rubbing head,...
And after the seizure or convulsion stops, the patient does not remember what happened. out

3. Causes of Epilepsy

According to statistics, more than half of patients with epilepsy have no known cause, however, some of the factors below are the major causes of the disease
Epilepsy has a high genetic factor. According to research, there are a number of genes that are linked to epilepsy, these genes make the brain more sensitive to strong impacts that cause seizures.
Having traumatic brain injury due to external influences (accident, head impact,...)
Having diseases related to the brain: Having meningitis, encephalitis,...
Having a tumor in the brain and having a stroke have a higher risk of developing epilepsy. The reason is that when the brain appears tumor or disease, the brain is damaged, the brain activity changes, the risk of central nervous system disorders is high, leading to an increased risk of epilepsy
Children are at high risk Epilepsy occurs when the fever is high
During pregnancy, the mother has an infection, lacks nutrition, the baby is at risk of brain damage at birth, at risk of epilepsy
History Using drugs to treat depression, regular use of stimulants such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, etc. are also causes of epilepsy.

4.Diagnosis of Epilepsy

To diagnose epilepsy, the patient will need to do a clinical examination based on the symptoms that appear, then combine with medical equipment to evaluate and draw accurate conclusions.
Clinical examination:
Assess according to information from the patient: medical history, symptoms Check behavior, exercise patient Blood test to check for infection, genetics, related disorders Epilepsy Checks and tests to evaluate brain damage:
EEG:
This is the most commonly used method of evaluating epilepsy. Use electrodes to record brain electrical activity. If you have epilepsy, the recorded brain wave pattern will have abnormal changes even when the patient is in a normal state, without convulsions.
Computed tomography (CT) :
With the method of computed tomography, the doctor will see cross-sectional images of the brain, brain lesions such as tumors or bleeding in the brain.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI):
This method uses radio waves and magnets to see the details of the brain, thereby detecting damage or abnormalities in the brain - one of the main causes seizure.

5.Treatment of epilepsy

Drug treatment
Most patients with epilepsy will be given antiepileptic drugs to limit the occurrence of seizures. Depending on the condition, the degree of seizure is more or less, the doctor will prescribe the use of 1 type or a combination of drugs.
Antiepileptic drugs can cause side effects such as fatigue, weight gain, dizziness,...
Surgical methods
In case of severe disease, ineffective drug use, resistance drug leads to recurrence of seizures, the patient will be indicated for surgery.
The patient will be examined and re-examined to see if they meet the criteria for surgery, the doctor will decide to locate the brain damage and perform surgery. remove the damaged area.
However, after undergoing surgery, there are still many patients who will need to take medicine to prevent the disease from coming back

6.Notes in epilepsy treatment

To treat epilepsy requires perseverance, the treatment time is also long, so the patient will have to take antiepileptic drugs for a long time. It is important to pay attention to taking the medicine exactly as directed and prescribed by the doctor, do not stop taking it on your own.
Go for regular check-ups for continuous monitoring and treatment.
Should not drink alcohol, tobacco, coffee to reduce the risk of the nervous system being affected, to avoid recurrence of the disease.
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