Generalized Epilepsy Research Paper

When one thinks of a serious disease of the nervous system one probably come up with Epilepsy. It is one of the most common and most known diseases of the nervous system. Epilepsy is a condition where there is an abnormality in the brain activity. The brain activity is normally very excessive and very sudden. “Approximately 2.3 million Americans and 40 million people throughout the world have epilepsy (Laberge, 2011).” Along with any other disease it has different types that go along with its severity. There is Generalized epilepsy where the abnormal activity affects both sides of the brain, while focal epilepsy affects one part of the brain.
There is a wide variety of etiologies for epilepsy. Like most diseases, epilepsy can be due genetics
and can be affected by things like age and injury. Any way that the brain can be injured can cause a person to develop epilepsy, just hitting the right spot in the right way. Just like physical trauma to the brain, also low oxygen to the brain, a stroke, and infection can damage the brain.
The signs and symptoms of epilepsy can be as unique as the person who has it.
The main sign and most known sign of epilepsy is the act of having a seizure. There are many different kinds of seizures a person may have. Convulsion Seizure (most common type) is sudden, excessive, and abnormal electrical activity of the brain that presents with muscle contractions and shaking. Some other common types are petit mal, grand mal, and status epilepticus. Petit mal seizures occur mainly in children and is outgrown by puberty. It is associated with absent-mindedness and twitching of eyes and mouth. Grand mal seizures normally what is thought of when thinking of seizures. It is associated with muscle contractions and loss of consciousness. There will be no recollection of what had occurred, along with fatigue. Status epilepticus more life-threatening form of convulsion seizure, where no consciousness will be recovered. Some other signs and symptoms of epilepsy are confusion, staring, and loss of consciousness. Diagnosis of epilepsy is through a series of test to determine if it is indeed epilepsy. The first test that should be performed is an electroencephalogram (EEG). Tests that might also be performed are a neurological exam, blood test, CT scan, MRI, functional MRI, and/or a PET
scan. The treatment of epilepsy should be performed by a licensed neurologist or epileptologist, neurologist who specializes in diagnosis and treating epilepsy.
The most common treatment that works for 80 percent of people is the use of medication, anti-seizure or anti-coagulation drugs. If the area of the brain that is affected is the temporal lobe and medication is ineffective, surgery can be an option. During the surgery, the surgeon will remove the affected area. Some other treatments are vagus nerve stimulation or a ketogenic diet. Vagus nerve stimulation is when there is an electronic device implanted to stimulate the vagus nerve. A ketogenic diet is a diet where there is very low consumption of carbs and a very high consumption of fats/proteins. Most other diseases have an adequate way of preventing, but with epilepsy, there is no decent way of prevention. The best a person can do is trying to prevent any form of brain injury and reduce any chances for a stroke. Also keeping up with the vaccinations, washing hands, and cooking food properly will help reduce any form of brain injury due to infection. Just like any other disease, reducing stress and getting enough sleep is very
beneficial. If managed appropriately, the prognosis of epilepsy is very good. A person can live a very long, normal, and healthy life if managed through an effective treatment. With the different variety of treatments available, the chances that there will be even one treatment that will not work is very low, so a huge group of the epileptic population has a good outlook.