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What is Epilepsy: What I Need to Know?

Health

Epilepsy is a condition that affects thousands of Americans. Put simply, epilepsy is a disorder in the central nervous system. It refers to situations in which normal brain activity is disrupted. Common symptoms of epilepsy include things like seizures or periods where patients experience loss of awareness and other unusual behaviors.

Epilepsy affects all types of people, including all genders, races, and ages. Symptoms and severity of epilepsy vary widely, and treatment plans typically depend on how serious the condition is. Many people outgrow epilepsy as they age, though others will require lifelong treatment to prevent injuries from seizures and other effects of the condition.

The Symptoms of Epilepsy

Most people think of epilepsy and picture someone convulsing wildly on the floor as a result of having a seizure. While these types of episodes do occur, there are also much more mild forms of epilepsy. Common symptoms include staring off into the distance for a while, temporary confusion, loss of consciousness or becoming unaware of one’s surroundings, and feelings of deja vu or anxiety.

Seizures are often the most dangerous symptoms because of the risk of injury to patients who are unable to control the movement of their bodies. Typically, seizures are classified as generalized or focal depending on how the abnormal brain activity is triggered.

In focal seizures, people don’t lose consciousness but experience a change in how things look, taste, or smell. There could be a jerking motion in a part of the body like a limb, or patients can experience dizziness and confusion. People with focal seizures report seeing flashing lights, tingling sensations, and swings in emotions.

With generalized seizures, the common denominator is that it is believed to affect the entire brain instead of a single area. The most serious type of generalized seizure is when a patient loses consciousness and control over bodily functions. Muscles and limbs seize and can thrash about, risking bodily harm to the person having an epileptic seizure.

Getting Proper Care for Epilepsy

Anyone who experiences regular symptoms of epilepsy should seek professional medical care. Long-term care is the best way to treat epilepsy and limit its impact on the quality of life. People with epilepsy typically learn to manage the effects of the disorder and can live normal, fulfilling lives.

People should seek immediate medical care anytime there is a generalized seizure that results in loss of consciousness or a focal seizure that persists for a long. People can learn to spot the early warning signs of a serious epileptic episode and should seek rapid care to limit the chance of injury or lasting harm.

Epilepsy Risk Factors

Is there anything that makes a person more susceptible or at risk of epilepsy? The general thinking is that age, family history, and any history of head trauma leads to higher instances of epilepsy. Talk to your family about whether there has been any history of epilepsy and how serious its symptoms were.

People who experience seizures as a child often do not have to deal with epilepsy later in life. The seizures are isolated to their young age and are generally the result of some other medical condition. High fevers in children can trigger seizures as the body’s way of communicating or dealing with distress.

Peptides and Epilepsy

Sermorelin is a growth hormone-releasing hormone, or a GHRH, that has been developed recently to help researchers find a way to keep some of the positive effects of naturally occurring GHRH without any negative side effects.

In a recent study of mice with epilepsy, the mice that receive Sermorelin and other GHRH analogs saw lower levels of seizure activity. The peptide was able to suppress seizure activity by activating brain receptors.

Treating epilepsy and managing its effects will range widely based on how serious a person experiences symptoms and how it affects their normal life. Typically, treatment is a lifelong process of refinement to find the right medicines and conditions to limit epilepsy’s impact. Having friends, family, colleagues, and other support groups around a patient will help limit any risk of injury and make getting the proper medical attention rapidly more possible. If you or someone you love has experienced epilepsy or has shown symptoms of what you think maybe epilepsy, seek out professional medical assistance.