Find out what distinguishes these seizures from epilepsy and what you can do to manage these conditions. Seizures are individual occurrences of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. There are many causes of seizures, including singular events like a medication reaction.
Epilepsy, on the other hand, is a chronic neurologic disorder that causes repeated seizure activity. Your brain works by sending electrical signals through nerve cells. If these signals are altered or interrupted, it can cause a seizure. Seizures come in many forms and are triggered by a number of events and conditions. Seizures are the primary symptom of epilepsy, but they can also be caused by a number of other events.
Some of the causes of nonepileptic seizures include:. Epilepsy is the medical name given to the condition in which you experience recurrent seizures.
There are several kinds of epilepsy :. Possible conditions include diabetes, immune disorders, medications, stroke, or brain tumor. Your doctor will likely perform the following checks to look for underlying conditions or to try to uncover another reason for your seizures:. Epilepsy can arise as a result of a number of medical conditions, injuries, or hereditary disorders.
Some examples include:. In some cases, your doctor may not be able to pinpoint a cause of your epilepsy. It is also a form of "madness". So, epilepsy should be treated by faith-healers, sorcerers witch-craft or in a lunatic asylum.
Fact Epilepsy is a disease of the brain. Hence, epilepsy should be treated by neurologists, epileptologists, physicians and paediatricians. Myth One should never touch a patient having a seizure in order to avoid the disease being passed on to you. Epilepsy cannot be passed on to others by touching the patient. Myth An epileptic seizure can be terminated by putting a key in the patient's hand or by making a patient smell onions or a dirty shoe.
Certain genes make a person more sensitive to certain triggers or stimuli in the environment, such as bright light or certain noises. Head injury from a car accident, strokes, brain tumours, infections that affect the brain e.
Autism can also be associated with epilepsy, while having dementia definitely increases the risk of epilepsy. Most people with epilepsy can be treated with just one medication for one or two years, and live relatively fit-free for life. Others may need a combination of anti-epileptic medications. However, anti-epileptic drugs have a lot of problematic side effects like fatigue, dizziness, weight gain, rashes, loss of bone density, loss of coordination, loss of memory and loss of focus.
There is also surgery to remove the focal part of your brain that is causing the seizures. Dr YLM graduated as a medical doctor, and has been writing for many years on various subjects such as medicine, health, computers and entertainment. For further information, email starhealth thestar. The information contained in this column is for general educational purposes only.
Neither The Star nor the author gives any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to such information.
The Star and the author disclaim all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information. Are epilepsy and fits the same thing? By DR Y. Nation 11h ago Cholera case detected in Selangor, says Health Ministry. Animals 09 Sep Sniffing out seizures before they happen.
Wait a minute, I thought epilepsy and fits meant the same thing. What types of fits are there? What causes epilepsy? Home » Symptoms » Signs and symptoms » Fits or seizures. Facts Fits seizures have a variety of causes, and most fits will not be due to a brain tumour.
Fits occurring for the first time should be viewed as a potentially serious symptom, and require further investigation of the cause.
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