What is pathophysiology epilepsy?

What is pathophysiology epilepsy?

The pathophysiology of epilepsy is typically viewed as the shift in the balance between the inhibitory (γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)) and the excitatory (glutamate) neurotransmission, in favor of the latter.

What are the two main causes of epilepsy?

Brain conditions that cause damage to the brain, such as brain tumors or strokes, can cause epilepsy. Stroke is a leading cause of epilepsy in adults older than age 35. Infectious diseases. Infectious diseases, such as meningitis, AIDS and viral encephalitis, can cause epilepsy.

What are three main causes of epilepsy?

Some of the main causes of epilepsy include:

• Low oxygen during birth.
• Head injuries that occur during birth or from accidents during youth or adulthood.
• Brain tumors.
• Genetic conditions that result in brain injury, such as tuberous sclerosis.
• Infections such as meningitis or encephalitis.

Is epilepsy a contagious disease PDF?

Causes. Epilepsy is not contagious. Although many underlying disease mechanisms can lead to epilepsy, the cause of the disease is still unknown in about 50% of cases globally.

Can Epilepsy be sexually transmitted?

This means that the disease can be spread by direct contact or contact with body fluids. The belief of a quarter of the participants that epilepsy is transferable or transmissible means that they think it can be transmitted sexually, vertically, and even through blood or inherited.

Is epilepsy a disease or disorder?

Epilepsy is a common disorder of the brain that causes repeated seizures. It is sometimes called a seizure disorder. A seizure is a short change in normal brain activity. Seizures are the main sign of epilepsy.

What is epilepsy and its types?

Experts now divide epilepsy into four basic types based on the seizures you’re having: Generalized epilepsy. Focal epilepsy. Generalized and focal epilepsy. Unknown if generalized or focal epilepsy.

How is epilepsy caused?

What causes epilepsy? In general, epilepsy and seizures result from abnormal circuit activity in the brain. Any event ranging from faulty wiring during brain development, brain inflammation, physical injury or infection can lead to seizure and epilepsy.

How is epilepsy diagnosed?

Electroencephalogram (EEG). This is the most common test used to diagnose epilepsy. In this test, electrodes are attached to your scalp with a paste-like substance or cap. The electrodes record the electrical activity of your brain.

At what age is epilepsy diagnosed?

Epilepsy can begin at any time of life, but it’s most commonly diagnosed in children, and people over the age of 65. Some children with epilepsy will outgrow their seizures as they mature, while others may have seizures that continue into adulthood.

Can MRI detect epilepsy?

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) is the diagnostic tool that identifies structural changes in the brain that may cause seizures or be associated with epilepsy.

What is the prevention of epilepsy?

Use safety belts, child passenger seats, airbags, bicycle helmets, and motorcycle helmets to reduce motor vehicle and traffic injuries. Step carefully. Falls are the leading cause of brain injury. Older adults and children have an increased chance of brain injuries from falls.

How is epilepsy treated?

medicines called anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) surgery to remove a small part of the brain that’s causing the seizures. a procedure to put a small electrical device inside the body that can help control seizures. a special diet (ketogenic diet) that can help control seizures.

What are 2 facts about epilepsy?

Facts about Seizures and Epilepsy

• You can’t swallow your tongue during a seizure.
• Never force something into the mouth of a person having a seizure.
• Don’t restrain someone having a seizure.
• Epilepsy isn’t contagious.
• Anyone can develop epilepsy.
• Most people with epilepsy can do the same things as people without epilepsy.

How many types of epilepsy are there?

There are about a dozen types of epilepsy, and the type you have plays a role in which kind of seizure you may have. There are two major types of seizures: Focal seizures: These start in a particular part of your brain, and their names are based on the part where they happen.

What are the 4 types of seizures?

Types of Generalized-Onset Seizures

• Absence Seizures (“Petit Mal Seizures”)
• Myoclonic seizures.
• Tonic and Atonic Seizures (“Drop Attacks”)
• Tonic, Clonic and Tonic-Clonic (Formerly called Grand Mal) Seizures.

What are the seizures?

A seizure is a sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain. It can cause changes in your behavior, movements or feelings, and in levels of consciousness. Having two or more seizures at least 24 hours apart that aren’t brought on by an identifiable cause is generally considered to be epilepsy.

What is the difference between seizure and epilepsy?

A seizure is a single occurrence, whereas epilepsy is a neurological condition characterized by two or more unprovoked seizures.

How long do epilepsy patients live?

Reduction in life expectancy can be up to 2 years for people with a diagnosis of idiopathic/cryptogenic epilepsy, and the reduction can be up to 10 years in people with symptomatic epilepsy. Reductions in life expectancy are highest at the time of diagnosis and diminish with time.

What should you eat after a seizure?

The modified Atkins diet and the ketogenic diet include high-fat foods such as bacon, eggs, mayonnaise, butter, hamburgers and heavy cream, with certain fruits, vegetables, nuts, avocados, cheeses and fish.

What food triggers seizures?

Stimulants such as tea, coffee, chocolate, sugar, sweets, soft drinks, excess salt, spices and animal proteins may trigger seizures by suddenly changing the body’s metabolism. Some parents have reported that allergic reactions to certain foods (e.g. white flour) also seem to trigger seizures in their children.

Which exercise is best for epilepsy?

A study in Norway of women with uncontrolled epilepsy, showed that regular sessions of aerobic exercise (for example running, walking, swimming, cycling) for 60 minutes, twice a week, for 15 weeks, resulted in a significant reduction in the number of seizures they had.

Can epilepsy be cured by yoga?

A study conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (nimhans), Bangalore, suggests certain forms of yoga, along with regular treatment, can help reduce seizures in patients suffering from refractory epilepsy. Patients suffering from refractory epilepsy get more than two seizures every month.