What causes epilepsy?
Epilepsy, commonly known as crohns, is not a single disease, but a brain dysfunction that can be caused by a variety of diseases, and its manifestations are varied. People know more about epileptic seizures, such as sudden loss of consciousness, unconsciousness, eye rolling, foaming at the mouth and twitching of the limbs, and they all know that this is epilepsy. However, people don't know about minor seizures that do not involve jerking, and they don't know that they are epilepsy.
Minor epileptic seizures are short-lived, just a few seconds of disorientation, such as holding something in your hand and suddenly falling to the ground, talking in your head and interrupting your speech, or doing something and suddenly stopping, and can be repeated dozens of times a day. People know even less about special types of epilepsy, such as headache epilepsy, which is mainly characterized by headache, and abdominal pain epilepsy, which is mainly characterized by abdominal pain. In short, epilepsy is a seizure disorder, and each seizure is similar in form, and may be preceded by an aura or without an aura, and after the seizure, everything is normal. If these features are present, epilepsy should be suspected, and an EEG can assist in the diagnosis. That is to say, if there are epileptic waveforms in the EEG, the diagnosis can be confirmed; if there are no epileptic waveforms, epilepsy cannot be denied, because epileptic waveforms do not occur continuously. Therefore, it is difficult to detect epileptic waves on EEG when seizures do not occur. By the way, as long as the diagnosis of epilepsy is made by a well-known specialist, it is well-founded and can be trusted. Some parents think that their children are not epileptic because they don't have seizures, or they don't recognize the reality that their children have epilepsy, so their children don't get timely treatment. The more severe the brain damage, the more severe the seizures, and the more difficult it is to treat them with medication. The more severe the brain damage, the more severe the seizures, and the more difficult it is to treat them with medication.
Types of epilepsy, how to recognize epilepsy
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders in pediatrics, the main cause of epileptic seizures is the increased excitability of the diseased brain cells, resulting in excessive discharges, causing temporary brain dysfunction; epileptic seizures are manifested by a sudden loss of consciousness and muscle convulsions, but also sensory, emotional and behavioral abnormalities in the functioning of the manifestations. Some people ask how many kinds of epilepsy performance, at once no one can say, can be said, the brain has how many kinds of functions have how many kinds of performance; what the brain can do, for example, the brain has the visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, temperature, pain, touch, pressure, movement, language, singing, dancing, writing, etc., however, epilepsy can be manifested it. Sometimes it is expressed in one function, sometimes in a combination of functions, and therefore epilepsy can manifest itself in a variety of ways. Although epilepsy manifests itself in many different ways, there are three most prominent features of epilepsy: first, sudden seizures; second, the seizures can stop on their own; and third, the seizures are often recurrent. Anyone with these three characteristics should be considered to have epilepsy. For patients with suspected epilepsy, EEG should be conducted to detect epileptic waves, which is the basis for confirming the diagnosis of epilepsy. At present, video EEG is the EEG detection technology with the highest detection rate of epileptic waves. Doctors classify epileptic seizures into two main categories: partial seizures and generalized seizures, based on clinical symptoms and EEG. Partial seizures begin in a focal area of the cerebral cortex, while generalized seizures begin synchronously in both hemispheres. However, there are still some seizures that are difficult to categorize and are classified as unclassifiable seizures. Of course, partial seizures are further categorized into simple partial seizures, complex partial seizures, and seizures secondary to generalized tonic clonic seizures. Generalized seizures are further classified into six types: catatonic seizures, tonic seizures, clonic seizures, myoclonic seizures, primary generalized tonic clonic seizures and atonic seizures. Doctors use this classification to facilitate the selection of antiepileptic drugs, because the antiepileptic drugs used to treat partial seizures and generalized seizures are not the same. In addition, doctors also categorize epilepsy into secondary (where the cause can be found) and primary (where the cause cannot be found) according to whether the cause of the epilepsy can be found or not.
Will epilepsy ever be cured?
Whenever "epilepsy" is mentioned, people will be very afraid. Firstly, they will be puzzled and find it difficult to accept the reality, always wanting to get to the bottom of the matter, as there has not been any epilepsy in our family for generations, why would their children suffer from epilepsy; secondly, they will be full of despair and disillusionment about the treatment and the future. After experiencing pain, despair, and disappointment, many parents tend to travel from hospital to hospital, wavering on treatment, or listening to biased prescriptions or secret recipes. Epilepsy that has an identifiable cause is called secondary epilepsy, and if the cause can be eliminated, the disease will be cured. For example, epilepsy can be caused by a cysticercus or tumor in the brain, so killing the cysticercus and removing the tumor will be enough; however, there are some causes of epilepsy that can not be eliminated, such as underdevelopment of the brain or a missing piece of the brain (e.g., lobular defect), so there is no way to make up for it, and so the only option is to take oral antiepileptic drugs for a lifetime, so as to prevent seizures from occurring. Some epilepsies, the cause of which cannot be found under the current medical conditions, are called primary pain, but they are easily controlled by medication, have a good prognosis, and most of them can be cured as they do not or seldom affect child care, schooling and employment during the period of taking medication. Therefore, whether epilepsy can be cured or not depends on whether the cause of epilepsy can be removed or not, and if it can be removed, it can be cured, and if it can't be removed, it can only be cured by taking medication to control the seizures for a long period of time. In fact, some epilepsy can be completely cured with medication. At least there are ways to control seizures with medication, but some parents can't accept the reality of long-term medication and always think that taking medication will damage the brain, not realizing that seizures damage the brain much more than medication, and some medications are often used in quantities that do not damage the brain. Some epilepsy, once you take medication, you can no longer have a seizure, and some parents, always trying to get rid of the drug, do not listen to the doctor's advice again and again, often give the child suddenly stop taking medication. If you stop taking anti-epileptic drugs suddenly, the seizures will become more severe and more difficult to treat. The treatment of epilepsy should be carried out under the guidance of a doctor, the effect of medication is not good, can not completely control the seizures, and can not prematurely underground medication is ineffective conclusion. Because no doctor will be able to see a patient once and control the epilepsy completely with medication. The treatment of epilepsy involves a process of adjusting the dosage and variety of medications, which is like adding salt to a pot of rice, sometimes a few times before the salt is just right. Generally speaking, 50 to 70 percent of children with epilepsy have a good prognosis, are sensitive to antiepileptic drugs, have easily controlled seizures, and can be successfully withdrawn from their medications once they are in remission. The prognosis for children with epilepsy is uncertain in 10 to 20 percent of cases. Seizures are controlled by antiepileptic drugs, but may recur after withdrawal of the drugs, requiring lifelong medication, and may be improved by surgery. Another 20% of children with epilepsy have a poor outcome. Most of them have underlying brain disease, and antiepileptic drugs only reduce the seizures, and the seizures continue even after multiple drug treatments. Overall, about one-third of patients relapse after discontinuing antiepileptic drugs, mostly within 2 years. Risk factors for recurrence include seizure type, etiology, head trauma, intracranial infection, and abnormalities on electroencephalogram and neurological examination.
Is infantile spasms also epilepsy?
Infantile spasms are a specific type of brain damage and a more serious form of epilepsy. The age of onset is usually between three and seven months, and the seizure is characterized by a sudden and short-lived loss of consciousness, sudden forward bending of the head and upper body as if bowing, forward extension of both arms, followed by flexion and inward retraction, and flexion or straightening of the lower limbs, with each convulsion lasting for one to two seconds, and often as a series of convulsions. Sometimes the convulsions are accompanied by a cry, pallor or bruising, and in severe cases, more than 100 episodes per day. Eighty to ninety percent of these children are stunted, mentally retarded, and often have paralysis or brain atrophy. An electroencephalogram (EEG) shows the disappearance of normal brain rhythms and the appearance of a large number of epileptic waves. Infantile spasms are very difficult to treat, and after the age of three to four years, about half of the patients will change to other forms of epileptic seizures, and the prognosis is very poor.
What can parents do to help during a seizure?
Generally, a seizure is over in just a few minutes, and the child is normal after the seizure and does not need to be hospitalized. If the child is having a convulsive seizure, the following should be done:
If a child with epilepsy develops prodromal symptoms or has already had a seizure, take immediate safety measures to prevent the child from falling and injuring himself/herself; lay him/her down on a quiet and comfortable bed or flat floor, with his/her head tilted to one side to prevent aspiration of oral saliva or vomit; avoid unnecessary stimulation of any kind; and undress him/her (unbuckle the collar of the coat, unbuckle the waistband) in order to facilitate respiration.
Observe carefully which parts of the body twitch during the seizure, whether you are conscious and aware, and record the duration so that you can describe it to your doctor.
:: During a convulsive seizure, fractures or dislocations of the limbs or spine can occur due to violent twitching of the limb and trunk muscles, so do not forcefully press on a limb during a convulsion to prevent fractures and dislocations. Stay by the child's side until the convulsions stop.
● After the seizure stops, clean up and comfort the child to eliminate his/her nervousness. If the seizure lasts for 5 minutes and does not subside, or if it occurs several times within 10 minutes, or if it occurs several times within a day, or if there is a history of seizures that last more than 15 minutes, then call emergency services or send the child to the hospital for treatment immediately, as prolonged seizures can be life-threatening.
Which epilepsies require surgery
Surgery can now be justifiably said to be one of the treatments for epilepsy. It is true that some epilepsies that are difficult to control with medication can be controlled with surgery, and this has given us a glimpse of the future. However, not all epilepsy can be treated with surgery. With reference to overseas experience and the actual situation, most people believe that the following points should be considered in the surgical treatment of epilepsy:
Refractory epilepsy, first-line antiepileptic drugs systematic and regular treatment for more than 2 years is ineffective should enter the surgical evaluation. Of course, for progressive epilepsy syndrome and hippocampal sclerosis-induced medial temporal lobe epilepsy in adolescents with drug-refractory epilepsy, as well as epilepsy with clear organic lesions such as brain tumors, cerebral vascular malformations, and traumatic cerebral scarring, they should be more aggressively treated with surgery without the need to adhere to the restriction of no less than 2 years of formal drug treatment.
Surgery may also be considered when the area of origin of the seizures, i.e., the epileptogenic zone, has been clearly identified, and this epileptogenic zone is not widespread but more limited.
No significant postoperative functional deficits while achieving a clear surgical outcome
The above points can be used as important reference points for patients with epilepsy to decide whether or not to undergo surgical treatment. Of course, surgery cannot be performed for those with underlying degenerative or metabolic diseases, as well as for those with severe systemic diseases that are unable to tolerate surgery, and for those with severe psychiatric disorders and cognitive dysfunctions.
How to prevent epilepsy and avoid seizures
The prevention of pediatric epilepsy should start with prenatal care. Mothers should avoid colds and other infections during pregnancy; should not keep pets, avoid contact with cats and dogs; should pay attention to the comprehensive and balanced nutrition of what food to eat, in order to prevent a lack of nutrients; careful use of drugs (including traditional Chinese medicine), should be under the guidance of specialists in the use of medication; to avoid contact with pesticides, toxins and radiation; pregnant women should be subjected to regular prenatal checkups, to learn about the development of the fetus; to pay attention to avoid preterm labor, hypoxia, difficult labor, It is important to avoid premature labor, hypoxia, obstructed labor, birth injuries and infections. In infancy and early childhood, we should try to avoid high fever, monitor the development of the brain and nerves, actively prevent and control various pediatric brain diseases, and avoid brain damage.
How to avoid pediatric seizures.
While children with epilepsy are treated with medication, they should also pay attention to avoiding seizure triggers in their daily lives. Common triggers include fever, sleep deprivation, menstrual cycle, emotional disturbances and flash stimulation. Epilepsy can be triggered by fever, especially high fever above 39℃. Children's nervous system is not yet fully developed, and sometimes moderate fever above 38℃ can also trigger epilepsy. Therefore, patients with epilepsy should pay attention to the prevention of diseases that can cause fever, such as colds. Once fever occurs, it should be controlled promptly to avoid triggering epilepsy. Excessive fatigue and lack of sleep are also common triggering factors. Therefore, epilepsy patients should live a regular life, combine work and rest, and pay attention to rest and sleep. People with epilepsy should also try to avoid heavy physical labor and heavy exercise, because the gulping and hyperventilation caused by these activities are also common seizure triggers. People with epilepsy can engage in light or moderate physical labor and sports, such as walking, playing tai chi and other physical exercise programs. The onset of menstruation is also likely to trigger epilepsy, usually before or during menstruation. Female patients should pay attention to rest and avoid emotional fluctuations during menstruation, and can increase the dosage of medication during menstruation under the guidance of the doctor to avoid seizures. Strong emotional activities, such as great sadness, great joy, or being frightened, are common triggering factors. Stabilizing the emotions of epileptic patients and avoiding severe emotional fluctuations is something that epileptic patients and their families should strive to do. Some people with epilepsy have changed their personality and character due to the long-term effects of epileptic foci in the brain and antiepileptic drugs, which make them different from normal people. These people are not easy to control their own emotions, easy to be impatient, impulsive, which requires the understanding and care of family members, with love, patience to guide the patient, so that the patient as little as possible to stimulate, maintain a more calm state of mind, stable emotions, so as to avoid seizures. Central nervous system excitatory drugs such as Ritalin and other drugs such as haloperidol and levofloxacin can also induce epilepsy. Therefore, patients with epilepsy should inform the doctor that they have a history of epilepsy and try to avoid the use of seizure-inducing drugs. Some medications should be used under the supervision of a doctor if their use is necessary for the patient's condition. Flash stimulation is also an important trigger for epilepsy. Therefore, long hours of watching TV, surfing the Internet and playing video games should be avoided. In addition, some habits and things in life can also be triggering factors for seizures, such as eating too much food, consuming stimulating and greasy food, and strong irritating smells, etc., all of which can be triggering factors and should be avoided. Finally, it should be emphasized that epilepsy patients should pay attention to summarize and avoid the triggering factors that cause their seizures.
What are the principles of treating epilepsy
If the cause of epilepsy is clear, treatment should be directed at the cause; for those whose cause is unknown or cannot be cured even though the cause is clear, long-term medication should be taken. The goal of drug treatment is to control seizures and minimize brain damage. The earlier the treatment starts, the better the prognosis. Antiepileptic drugs are chosen according to the type of epilepsy. Try to use one type of medication as much as possible, and when one type of medication does not work well, add another one. If there is a need to change drugs, the old drugs should be gradually replaced by the new ones. Adjust the dosage of medication appropriately. Under the guidance of the doctor, strictly control the time, dose and dosage of the medication, not to omit the medication, and not to arbitrarily reduce the dose, stop or interrupt the irregularity of the medication. Generally speaking, the dosage should be increased gradually at the beginning to reach the effective amount to control the seizures, and then adhere to the long-term consolidation treatment, and finally reduce the dosage slowly until stopping the medication. If possible, the dosage can be adjusted according to the results of blood concentration measurement. Observe the efficacy of the medication, record the number of seizures and the performance of seizures during the period of taking the medication, so as to clarify the control of seizures. Adhere to long-term, regular and rational individualized treatment. Take medication regularly for a long period of time and for a long period of time to minimize recurrence; do not stop the medication suddenly or change to other medication suddenly to avoid causing severe seizures. Generally speaking, long-term medication should be taken until the epilepsy stops completely, and then the medication should be taken for another 2-4 years before gradually reducing the dosage and stopping the medication. The process of reducing the dosage and stopping the medication should not be too short, usually not less than one year. If the seizures only occur at night, the drug can be taken only once before bedtime. Regular checkups and attention to the side effects of the medication. During the treatment period, review every 1~2 months to determine the efficacy of the treatment, adjust the dosage of medication, and detect the side effects of the medication. Most antiepileptic drugs can reduce the number of self-cells or damage the liver, so blood and liver function should be checked every 2-3 months during the period of taking the drugs.
Build confidence and avoid triggers. Elderly children often suffer from anxiety, fear and low self-esteem due to the disease and long-term medication. Therefore, parents should do more ideological work for their children to relieve their mental burden and enhance their confidence in treating and overcoming the disease. Parents should have patience, do not hate their children because of this, be more attentive to their children, reasonably arrange their children's lives, and avoid triggering factors.
The International League Against Epilepsy's new definition of epilepsy recognizes epilepsy as a chronic brain disease, and thus many seizures that occur during the acute phase of an acute disease are no longer considered a cause of epilepsy because they disappear as the primary disease improves. Only if the disease causes prolonged, recurrent seizures is it considered a cause of epilepsy. All epilepsies have a cause, but limited by the limitations of knowledge about the causes of epilepsy, some causes are known to mankind and others are being explored. The former are called secondary epilepsies and the latter are called idiopathic epilepsies. Epilepsies that present clinically as secondary epilepsies, but for which the cause is not known, are called cryptogenic epilepsies.
Secondary causes of epilepsy
(1) Cortical developmental disorders Cortical developmental disorders cause seizures:The most common causes areNeuronal ectasia and focal cortical dysplasia.. In the former case, the migration of neurons is obstructed for a variety of reasons, so that the neurons cannot reach the normal site, and therefore cannot form the synaptic connections necessary for normal function, and the reverse side of the formation of an abnormal neural network locally leading to epilepsy.The morphology of the obstructed neurons is normal, whereas patients with focal cortical dysplasia tend to have abnormalities of the cortical structure and cytology, which can lead to seizures of Recurrent seizures.
(2) Tumors: Intracranial tumors can directly cause seizures, while extracranial tumors can be the cause of recurrent seizures through metastasis or paraneoplastic syndromes. Epidemiological investigations have shown that 4% of patients with epilepsy are due to tumors. The incidence of epilepsy in patients with brain tumors is 35%, and 17% of patients with chronic drug-resistant epilepsy undergoing surgical treatment have tumors, especially some poorly differentiated tumors are more likely to cause seizures.
(3) Head trauma: Seizures that occur within 1 week of a head injury are called early-onset epilepsy, and because this type of seizure rarely recurs after recovery from a head injury, it is no longer classified as epilepsy. Post-head injury epilepsy mainly refers to seizures that occur 1 week after head injury. Epidemiologic surveys have shown the incidence of post head injury epilepsy to be 5% to 7%. Severe craniocerebral injuries accompanied by cerebral contusion, intracranial hematoma, skull fracture, and amnesia greater than 24 hours after head injury are more likely to lead to epilepsy. Brain surgery can also lead to epilepsy. Epilepsy has been reported after cranial drilling, glioma resection, craniotomy for intracranial hemorrhage, and meningioma resection, while the risk of seizures after craniotomy for posterior communicating artery aneurysms is as high as 20%. Head-injury epilepsy in infants and children is often associated with birth injury, and stagflation and instrumental delivery are risk factors for birth injury. Post-head-injury epilepsy is a malignant form of epilepsy, and once it occurs, the course often lasts more than 10 years.
(4) Central nervous system infections:Central nervous system infections are one of the most common causes of epilepsy. Tuberculous meningitis, neurosyphilis, and viral encephalitis are among the most common causes of secondary epilepsy, and human immunodeficiency virus infection can cause seizures through mechanisms such as infectious encephalopathy, demyelination within the center, and metabolic disorders.
(5) Cerebrovascular diseases:Epilepsy due to cerebrovascular disease mainly refers to seizures that occur two weeks after the onset of cerebrovascular disease. this type of epilepsy has a greater than 80% chance of recurring seizures when the cerebrovascular disease enters the recovery phase, and it is one of the common causes of epilepsy. about 45% of newly diagnosed epileptic patients over the age of 60 years are associated with cerebrovascular disease as an etiology. The prevalence of post-stroke epilepsy increases progressively as patients with cerebrovascular disease survive longer. Cerebrovascular malformations, which occur mainly in young and middle-aged adults, can also induce epilepsy through ischemia and hypoxia caused by abnormal blood shunting, ion deposition, hemorrhage, gliosis, and iron-containing hemochromatosis deposition. Be alert to the possibility of venous sinus thrombosis in the brain when multiple types of seizures occur.
(6) Parasitic infections:The upper reaches of the Yangtze River are dominated by cerebral schistosomes, the middle and lower reaches are dominated by schistosomes, and epilepsy caused by parasites of Cysticercus suis is common in the north. In the north, epilepsy is more common due to parasitization by Cysticercus pigmentosus. Epileptic seizures can occur after cysticercus degeneration and necrosis or calcification. Parasite-induced epilepsy has been significantly reduced as a result of widespread prevention efforts.
(7) Inherited metabolic diseases:Seizures can occur in many neurogenetic disorders. Epidermoid cysts in the brain, infantile wax-like lipofuscin accumulation disease, type II salivary acid glycosidase accumulation disease, lysosomal storage disease, and dark haze dementia often cause seizures.
(8) Neurodegenerative diseases:A variety of degenerative diseases occurring in the central nervous system can also cause seizures. 5% of patients with multiple sclerosis have seizures during the course of their disease, and seizures are often seen in the later stages of motor neuron disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease.
(9) Secondary encephalopathy:
① Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE):It can occur at any age, but is most common in newborns and adults, with epilepsy occurring in about 6% of these patients.
②Uremic encephalopathy: About 1/3 of patients have seizures in their acute phase or in severe chronic renal failure, mostly generalized seizures, and partial seizures are also more common.
(iii) CO poisoning:National epidemiologic surveys have found an 11.4% incidence of epilepsy in patients with CO poisoning, with 25% occurring in the acute phase and 75% presenting as delayed encephalopathy.
④ Other encephalopathies:Seizures have also been reported to cause epilepsy. Other 8% to 20% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus can develop seizures; diabetes can also cause epilepsy, with a significant proportion of seizures being the only or prominent early manifestation in diabetic patients, thus routine blood glucose checking is necessary for epilepsies of unknown cause, especially persistent partial status epilepticus, and certain medications and immunologic inoculants have also been reported to cause epilepsy.
Causes of idiopathic epilepsy
Idiopathic epilepsy should be epilepsy with an unclear etiology, and once the etiology is clear it should be categorized as secondary epilepsy. However, there is a clinical tendency to refer to epilepsies caused by genetic mutations and certain congenital factors, with a clear genetic predisposition, which require molecular biology methods to discover the etiology, and epilepsies whose etiology is still unclear as idiopathic epilepsies.
Factors associated with epilepsy
Factors associated with epilepsy refer to factors that are closely related to the development of epilepsy and do not cause seizures when present alone, but can induce or exacerbate epilepsy under specific circumstances, sometimes referred to in clinical practice as predisposing factors, which are different from the causes of reflex epilepsy that directly cause seizures.
(1) Endocrine:The relationship between seizures and endocrinology has been noted for a long time; in a significant number of female patients, seizures are exacerbated during menstruation, and in some patients seizures occur only before, during and after menstruation, referred to as menstrual epilepsy; after a woman becomes pregnant, seizures stop or are significantly reduced in some patients, but seizures increase in others (pregnancy epilepsy). Hormonal effects on seizures have also received attention, with cortisol and sex hormones reported to cause seizures.
(2) Sleep:Many people with epilepsy have seizures only during sleep, and sleep deprivation can also exacerbate epilepsy, suggesting a strong relationship between epilepsy and sleep. Recently, it has begun to be noted that sleep apnea can cause not only exacerbation of seizures, but also sudden unexplained death in patients, opening up a new area of research into the relationship between epilepsy and sleep.
(3) Genetic factors:The same etiology causes seizures in only a portion of patients and not in another portion of the population, epilepsy caused by the same etiology is treated with the same medication partially effective and partially ineffective, and methylation microarray scans of brain tissue from patients with epilepsy have revealed that epigenetic profiles of epileptic patients are markedly different from those of control subjects, which suggest that genetic factors are involved in epileptogenesis and development of epilepsy but the exact degree of genetic influence is not well understood. degree is still not clear.
(4) Age:Benign occipital lobe epilepsy in children, benign central gyrus epilepsy in children have a tendency to resolve on their own in adulthood, Ohtahara syndrome occurs predominantly in neonates or young infants, and the peak incidence of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome occurs at the age of 3-5 years, suggesting that age plays an important role in the development of epilepsy, and is an important epilepsy-related factor.
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that can occur at any age, and frequent seizures affect patients to varying degrees. The main causes of epilepsy are: congenital disorders, trauma, infection, poisoning, intracranial tumors, cerebrovascular disease, nutritional and metabolic disorders, degenerative diseases, and febrile convulsions. It is also known as "epilepsy"or"epilepsy".
In layman's terms: the brain is like a computer connected by electrical circuits, and brain cells are connected and communicate with each other through electrical impulses. When the circuits are abnormal, or when there is abnormal discharge in the brain, seizures will result. That is to say: epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder caused by a variety of etiological factors, and is caused by sudden, excessive discharges of neurons in the brain. It is characterized by sudden, recurrent, and transient malfunctions of the brain's nervous system. Depending on the location and scope of the abnormally discharged neurons, seizures in epilepsy can manifest as varying degrees of impairment in sensation, movement, consciousness, behavior, and autonomic function. The main triggers include:Drugs, high fever, sleep deprivation, stress, overexertion, excessive consumption of alcohol or alcoholism,Taking stimulants (e.g., cocaine) can cause seizures more easily.
1,medication: It is an important means of controlling seizures and is the basic method of treating epilepsy at home and abroad.
2,Surgical treatment: It is only suitable for some patients with primary epilepsy that is difficult to control by medication. In-depth professional epilepsy examination should be carried out, and the examination reveals clear epileptogenic foci, early surgical treatment should be carried out, and appropriate surgical methods should be selected.
3,Other treatments: Adjunctive treatments for refractory epilepsy, e.g., ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation.
The first thing to do is to stay in a good mood and try to avoid the following things:
1. Excessive physical labor, over-stressful mental work, strenuous sports.
2. Stress, sadness, worry, over-excitement, lack of sleep.
3. Excessive hunger or satiety, drinking large amounts of water at one time, etc.
4. Drinking alcohol, strong tea, and using foods containing large amounts of caffeine such as chocolate.
5. Seizures can be triggered by colds and fevers.
1,medication: It is an important means of controlling seizures and is the basic method of treating epilepsy at home and abroad. In addition, once medication is started, the dose of medication must be slowly adjusted and finally discontinued according to the condition under the guidance of a doctor, and must not be stopped on its own.
2,Surgical treatment: It is only suitable for some patients with primary epilepsy that is difficult to control by medication. In-depth professional epilepsy examination should be carried out, and the examination reveals clear epileptogenic foci, early surgical treatment should be carried out, and appropriate surgical methods should be selected.
3,Other treatments: Adjunctive treatments for refractory epilepsy, e.g., ketogenic diet, vagus nerve stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Zhang Xinwei (1965-), PRC film director:Deputy Chief Physician, Associate Professorspecialize in:Precise localization and minimally invasive surgical treatment of epileptogenic foci in intractable epilepsy, diagnosis and minimally invasive surgical treatment of facial spasms, trigeminal neuralgia apparent microvascular decompression, brain tumors, spinal cord tumors, and cranio-cerebral developmental malformations.
SCMS Divine Surgery Cabbage.
Epilepsy is a chronic disease of the nervous system, which is a sudden, transient or recurrent excessive abnormal discharge of neurons in the brain leading to transient brain dysfunction. So what are the causes of epileptic seizures?
1. Brain diseases. Due to structural abnormalities of the brain, brain parasites, abnormal brain development, brain inflammation, metabolism, immune disorders, cerebrovascular disease, tumors, and other diseases affecting the brain, of course, head trauma can also cause seizures.
2. Dietary factors. Epileptic seizures are related to daily diet, such as overeating, uncontrolled, or often eat greasy food, cold food, unhygienic food, etc., but also may not pay attention to the day cold clothing, hot and cold, cold and heat invasion, and so on.
3. Mental factors. Prolonged psychological conflict, depression, sadness, or mental tension, agitation and temper tantrums and other mental trauma, resulting in the body's qi disorders, triggered by dirty qi inequality, which leads to epileptic seizures.
4. Overwork. Excessive use of the brain due to study or work leads to brain fatigue, which in turn causes physical weakness. The brain suffers loss, resistance drops, and the body is too weak to be invaded by disease, leading to epileptic seizures.
5. Alcoholism. Alcoholism is prone to cause brain tissue metabolic dysfunction and brain atrophy, which leads to seizures.
It is recommended that people with a past history of epilepsy pay attention to their diet, avoid overwork, alcohol abuse, and mental stimulation on weekdays to prevent seizures. At the same time, avoid high altitude and high temperature work as much as possible, and follow the doctor's advice.
Instructor: Wan Changming, Chief Physician, Department of Neurology, Jinzhou Central Hospital.
She has been engaged in the clinical work of neurology for 20 years, specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of cerebral hemorrhage, epilepsy, Parkinson's and other common neurological diseases.
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Epilepsy, commonly known as mange, is a seizure-induced transient brain dysfunction.
There are many causes of eclampsia, such as encephalitis, meningitis, brain tumor, cerebral parasitosis, cerebral syphilis, hypertension, cerebral arteriosclerosis, traumatic brain injury and cerebral poisoning.The cause of the epilepsy is called secondary epilepsy. Any epilepsy for which a cause can be detected is called secondary epilepsy. Epilepsy in which no cause can be found is called primary epilepsy. Primary epilepsy is most common in males and develops before the age of 20.
epilepticseizureIt is a common type of seizure, in which the patient suddenly yells (like a sheep cry or a pig's cry), falls to the ground suddenly, loses consciousness, looks at a fixed place with eyes fixed, mouth half-open, head tilted to the side or tilted back, limbs are stiff, upper limbs are flexed, lower limbs are straightened, respiration stops, and after several seconds, there is a burst of twitching of the whole body muscles, blinking, clenching of the teeth, pulling of the corners of the mouth, trembling of the torso, stretching of the extremities, and a bruise on the face, Foaming at the mouth or blood foam (due to biting the tongue or bleeding gums), red eyes, dilated pupils, urinary incontinence. The convulsions stop on their own after 1 to 2 minutes or longer. Later, the patient turns into drowsiness or restlessness, mental trance, after 1~2 hours to be completely clear. After waking up, the patient feels headache, body pain, fatigue, and does not know anything about the seizure. Sometimes the seizures are continuous and the patient's consciousness cannot be restored. This is called persistent state of eclampsia, and must be sent to the hospital for treatment urgently, otherwise it may lead to death.
In some cases, there is only a brief loss of consciousness without convulsions, a fall, or the dropping of objects held in the hand without the patient being aware of it.seizureSometimes only the muscles of the arms and legs (one or both) or the face twitch, or a feeling of numbness. Sometimes only twitching of the arms, legs (one or both sides) or facial muscles, or a feeling of numbness, this is called limited epilepsy, mostly secondary. There is also a type of psychomotor seizure, in which the patient only has a momentary confusion, makes some meaningless movements, or has a change in mood, or has psychotic symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations. If secondary epilepsy is suspected, further investigations such as detailed neurological examination of electroencephalogram (EEG), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), CT, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are required. Patients with primary epilepsy usually have no special discomfort during the period when they do not have seizures, while patients with secondary epilepsy tend to gradually develop neurological symptoms such as persistent headache or paralysis of arms and legs, which can be differentiated from other patients.
To treat secondary epilepsy, the cause should be identified and treated.(c) Continuous status epilepticus should be taken to the hospital for emergency treatment immediately. Patients with epilepsy should be careful to avoid accidents and should not take up dangerous jobs. Patients should lead a regular life and abstain from smoking, alcohol and other stimulants. Patients with definite epilepsy should take antiepileptic drugs for several years, and should not stop taking the drugs blindly or suddenly, otherwise there is a risk of status epilepticus.
Abroad, epilepsy is called "epilepsy," which means "seized by a spirit."
In ancient times, people had no knowledge of medical science, and there was limited awareness at that time. People around the world generally believed that epilepsy was a "supernatural force" controlling someone, worshipped in some places and feared in others.
At that time, due to the backward diagnosis and treatment technology, patients suffered from recurrent seizures that could not be cured for a long period of time, which gave people the wrong perception of "incurable disease" and brought great physical and mental harm to epilepsy patients.
The evil old society!
The new era of medical technology has led to the recognition of what epilepsy is and why it seizes.
First of all, according to the epidemiological survey, the prevalence of epilepsy in China's population is 7 per 1,000, according to which it is projected that there are as many as 9 million epileptic patients in the country, with about 400,000 new seizures each year, most of which are not treated formally and epilepsy is not managed effectively.
Epilepsy, which is indeed called "eclampsia" in Hong Kong and "encephalopathy" in Korea, as the name suggests, is related to the brain. As the name suggests, epilepsy has something to do with the brain, i.e. it is a chronic disease characterized by abnormal excessive discharges of brain cells in a group, sudden, transient and repetitive manner, resulting in "transient dysfunction" of the brain.
Epilepsy is a curable disease
On the basis of a large number of clinical cases by medical doctors through the ages, "epileptology" emerged, describing the symptoms, clarifying the pathogenesis, diagnostic methods, formulating treatment plans and listing preventive measures.
There are three types of seizures:
Hereditary epilepsy:These people are genetically linked and may be familial or new onset by genetic mutation.
Structural metabolic epilepsy:Epilepsy can be caused due to structural brain abnormalities, brain parasites, abnormal brain development, brain inflammation, metabolic, immune disorders, cerebrovascular disease, tumors, and other disorders that affect the brain, and of course head trauma.
Epilepsy of unknown cause:The cause is unknown and cannot be investigated.
summarize
Too academic. Read with caution.
The brain, a self-contained electrical organism, why we don't feel it is because the voltage is low.
Under normal circumstances, nerve cells in various parts of the brain organization work in an orderly manner, impulse, conduct this information, interconnected, coordinated and normal "command" of the body's various actions.
But as a result of certain stimuli, many nerve cells in the brain are suddenly excited at the same time, abnormally discharging, and a huge "electrical storm", which manifests itself in the form of seizures.
If the abnormal discharges in the brain are confined to just one area of the brain, the result is a partial seizure.
If there is an abnormal discharge in the brain, a full-blown seizure results when the whole brain is unlucky enough to be involved.
caveat
Seizures damage humans in many ways, with brain damage being the most important to emphasize.
Seizures, the patient will appear apnea, resulting in lack of oxygen to the brain cells, cerebral edema has further aggravated the damage to the brain cells, short seizures, damage is small, long seizures, damage is big, many times for a long time seizures, can cause epilepsy patients with intellectual decline, and even cause personality changes.
Epilepsy is all about management, fewer seizures and no seizures.
Epilepsy is all about going to the right hospital, seeing the right doctor, and taking the right medicine.
[References]
[1] Chinese Antiepileptic Association, Knowledge of Epilepsy - Interpreted by Professional Doctors for Patients and Families [M]. Sichuan University Press, 2016.
[2] Z. Tian, "Experts Explain Epilepsy" [M]. China Medical Science and Technology Press, 2011.
[3] Chinese Association Against Epilepsy, Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines-Epilepsy Subsection [M]. People's Health Press, 2015.
[4] Li S. Chiao, Prevention and Control of Epilepsy in China [M]. Peking University Press, 2015.
[Reference video]
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Epilepsy Butler - Dr. Zo, it's not easy to code, more support, thank you.
Epilepsy, which is called "epilepsy" by the common people, is something that we may have seen or heard of before. Why people have seizures for no apparent reason, even foaming at the mouth, may be complicated to understand for those who have not studied medicine. Today we will make it clear in the simplest words.
The human brain is a very complex closed body with tens of billions of nerve cells, and any small damage can cause irreversible effects on the brain. Epilepsy is actually a chronic brain disease in which many congenital or acquired factors lead to over-discharge of neurons in the brain, resulting in recurrent, episodic and transient manifestations of central nervous system malfunction. That is to say, due to the abnormal discharge of neurons in the brain, my brain function is out of control, and the manifestation of the reaction is convulsions, foaming at the mouth, and some may appear to be dazed, drooling, and so on.
It can develop in any population, and there are many epilepsies that are congenital, meaning that the person is born with symptoms of seizures. The causes of this patient's condition are complex, and many of the causes are still unknown. In addition to many congenital disorders, many are due to acquired causes.
For children, it is often easier for epilepsy to be triggered due to various reasons. For example, children are at risk of inducing epilepsy when their brain nerves are stimulated after suffering from shock; prolonged high fever that does not go away, causing damage to the neurons in the brain is also prone to induce epilepsy; in fact, many children with high fever that does not go away end up having convulsions which is a manifestation of epilepsy, except that the reversibility of the high fever has not caused irreversible effects on the children, whereas some patients are not as lucky, and the seizures due to the childhood fever are often accompanied by decades or even a lifetime of seizures. Seizures caused by childhood fever often remain with the child for decades, if not a lifetime.
Diseases of the brain are also a major factor. For example, head trauma due to traffic accidents is likewise a common cause of epilepsy; elderly patients with cerebrovascular disease or Alzheimer's disease may also induce epilepsy. Many patients with aneurysms, intracranial tumors, and cerebral vascular malformations may have seizures after surgery due to the trauma of the surgery.
Mental factors and irregular lifestyles are also triggers for epilepsy. For example, staying up late for a long time and being overstressed are all damaging to the brain, and it's no surprise that seizures can occur.
So it is especially important for us to protect the head, especially for children, to protect the head from trauma, and for the elderly to pay attention to the prevention of cerebrovascular disease, as well as a regular lifestyle. In this way, we can keep away from epilepsy and improve the quality of life.
Drugs.com authoritative interpretation, unauthorized reproduction, plagiarism will be prosecuted
Epilepsy is a clinical syndrome resulting from highly synchronized abnormal discharges of neurons in the brain due to multiple causes.
The connection between neurons in the brain is carried out through electrical and chemical signals, and thousands of neurons form a dense "power grid". Normally, signals are transmitted in an orderly manner, but when neurons discharge abnormally, symptoms will appear. For example, epileptic seizures are caused by highly synchronized abnormal neuronal discharges.
However, the etiology of this abnormal discharge is very complex, and can be caused by a variety of well-defined structural injuries or functional abnormalities of the central nervous system, such as traumatic brain injury, brain tumors, neurological infections, parasites, abnormalities of cerebral cortical development, and drug toxins; in some patients, the etiology of the disease is not known, and structural injuries or abnormalities sufficient to cause epileptic seizures have not been detected in the brain, and may be related to genetic factors. Limited to the current level of medical science, some potential causes are not known to us, which accounts for about 60% of all epilepsy. So there is a long way to go in the study of epilepsy.
Abnormal discharges in different areas of the brain can lead to different symptoms
Each region of the brain is busy with the functional areas under its jurisdiction, and when a region discharges abnormally it leads to a malfunction of the function under its jurisdiction. For example, if the lesion is in and around the precentral gyrus, there will be localized involuntary twitching of the body, which is commonly seen on one side of the eyelids, the corners of the mouth, the hands and the feet; if the lesion is located in the temporal lobe, there can be impaired consciousness and automatisms; when the lesion is located in both sides of the brain, there can be a full-blown seizure, with a loss of consciousness, persistent contraction of the skeletal muscles all over the body (e.g., upturning or staring of the eyeballs, clenching of the teeth, etc.), and alternating contraction and relaxation of the muscles, and so on.
The clinical manifestations of epilepsy are rich and varied, but are characterized by the following four features:
① Episodic: that is, the symptoms occur suddenly, last for a time which is the time to recover quickly, and the intervals are normal;
(ii) Transient: i.e., the seizure lasts for a very short time, usually seconds or minutes and rarely more than half an hour (except for status epilepticus);
(iii) Repetitive: i.e., after the first attack, there will be a second attack or more attacks after different intervals;
④ Stereotypicality: i.e., the clinical presentation is almost the same for each episode.
Epilepsy can cause great distress to patients and their families, but by adhering to the correct medication, 70% of patients can effectively control their seizures, and for drug-refractory epilepsy, surgical treatment can also be considered. However, do not trust the prescription, which not only delays the treatment, but also may have other toxic side effects.
Epilepsy has been around since ancient times and is commonly known as "epilepsy" or "epilepsy". Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease in which neurons in the brain are highly synchronized, causing paroxysmal abnormal discharges that result in dysfunction of the central nervous system. Epilepsy is also categorized into different types such as grand mal and petit mal seizures depending on the presentation of the seizure. Epileptic seizures are also characterized by suddenness, transience, repetition and stereotypicality.
Like many other diseases, the causes of seizures are categorized as primary and secondary, based on the presence or absence of specific triggers. If there is no specific cause, we call it primary epilepsy; if there is a specific trigger, we call it secondary epilepsy.
Primary epilepsy, also known as idiopathic epilepsy. The cause of why the seizures occur is unknown in most cases. Many experts attribute it to a genetic mutation or some congenital factor, so this type of epilepsy has a clear genetic predisposition.
The main causes of secondary epilepsy, most of which are due to other brain disorders, are:
1、Disorders of cerebral cortical development, resulting in abnormalities in brain structure, which induces seizures;
2. Brain tumors, malignant or benign brain tumors, can trigger seizures;
3. Head injuries, or previous surgery to the brain;
4. Have suffered from various infectious diseases of the brain, such as meningitis caused by bacteria, viruses or tuberculosis;
5. Cerebrovascular disease, especially ischemic cerebrovascular disease, which is also known as cerebral infarction;
6. Parasitic infections of the brain, especially brain-type schistosomiasis and porcine cysts;
7, other central nervous diseases induced, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and so on;
8. Induced by various situations caused by the lack of oxygen in the brain, such as carbon monoxide poisoning.
There are many other diseases or conditions that cause secondary epilepsy, mostly related to brain injury. Therefore, aggressive treatment of the underlying disease and prevention of various internal and external brain injuries can be effective in preventing secondary seizures.
Epilepsy is an ancient disease, and the medications and means of treating it are classic. At present, we have excellent means of preventing and treating most epileptic seizures, and people with epilepsy who are actively treated as prescribed by their doctors will achieve the desired results.
Epilepsy is the most common neurological seizure disorder, is a common syndrome of the nervous system, the so-called "seizure" is the people say "fight bouts", that is to say, the pumping is "fight bouts The so-called "episodic" is what the people call a "bout", that is to say, a "bout" of tics, a few minutes at a time, and then stop, may be many times a day, or a few months and years before the issue of once. Why do seizures occur "episodically"?
Because our brain is like a huge network of wires, it is like a city's power supply system, which is connected in all directions and extraordinarily complex.
The "wires" that make up this vast network are nerve cells.
Human beings are conscious, can think, the brain can dominate limb activity, can feel the body hot and cold sensations, are dependent on the electrical activity of the nerves, electrical activity for the basis of this huge wire network activity.
It's like, if you turn on a light, the light comes on because there is "electricity", voltage and current to maintain the basic activity of the power supply system.
Normally, the brain is maintained in a state of equilibrium, much like your home's electrical wiring is maintained at a tolerable load voltage for proper power usage and electrical safety.
When certain conditions cause the electrical activity of the brain to become overexcited, that is, an abnormal overdischarge of the brain nerves, it manifests itself in a variety of symptoms, such as jerking, which we call a seizure.
It is evident that epilepsy is a clinical syndrome resulting from abnormal neuronal discharges in the brain due to multiple causes.
It manifests as a sudden, transient brain dysfunction.
Just like some of the reasons for overloading the wiring of your residential building, resulting in point-of-use equipment can not be used properly, or even directly "burned out", scrap is the same reason.
The human brain is a complex network of electrical wires system, different parts of the management of different functions of our body, when a certain part of the electrical activity of the abnormal will show the corresponding different symptoms.
It's like a city power grid where a power problem at a TV station causes abnormal TV transmissions and a circuit problem at a water plant causes water outages.
That's why seizures can manifest themselves differently in different brain regions and can even be described as bizarre.
The most common symptoms are: twitching of the limbs, rolling of the eyes, foaming at the mouth and other symptoms of crohns.
However, epilepsy is by no means the only type of crohns.
Others such as:
Dullness, immobility, abnormal behavior, and emotional or mental abnormalities that occur during "bouts";
Visual, auditory, and olfactory anomalies that occur during "bouts";
"Bouts" of hallucinations, dizziness, numbness or cramps in the limbs;
Even "bouts" of unconsciousness, chest and abdominal pain, headache, dizziness, and abnormal behavior can be symptoms of a seizure.
Therefore, epilepsy is a "seizure" neurological abnormality caused by abnormal discharges in a part of the brain or the whole brain, and any neurological symptom that occurs in a "bout" may be epilepsy!
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