Epilepsy

The mortality rate for epilepsy in the United States is estimated to be about 1.5 to 2.5 deaths per 1,000 people with epilepsy annually. This figure can vary based on factors such as age, underlying health conditions, and the presence of other comorbidities. Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a significant contributor to mortality in people with epilepsy, particularly in those with uncontrolled seizures. Overall, while epilepsy can increase the risk of mortality, many individuals manage the condition effectively with treatment.

Epilepsy is primarily associated with imbalances in neurotransmitters, particularly gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate. GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that helps prevent excessive neuronal firing, while glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter that can promote seizures when its activity is overly heightened. In epilepsy, dysfunction in GABAergic inhibition or excessive glutamatergic excitation can lead to the hyperexcitability of neurons, resulting in seizures.

Some common auras associated with seizures include feelings of déjà vu, fear, anxiety, abdominal discomfort, and unusual smells or tastes. Auras can vary widely between individuals and may serve as a warning sign that a seizure is imminent.

Yes, epilepsy can have a hereditary component. While the exact cause of epilepsy is often unknown, genetic factors can play a role in certain types of epilepsy. If a close family member has epilepsy, there may be a slightly higher risk of developing the condition.

I would say that, yes he should be monitored.....really not so much by a neurologist or psychologist but by those who live with him, or are around him alot, coming off of xanax could possibly lead to a seizure, so wath for involuntary muscle spasms or movement. I'm wondering though why they are weening him off with lamictal. Usually when weening off that type of medication they prescibe something like tegretol. (That is used mainly to ensure no seizures occur.) Good luck, watch him close for a few weeks, he should be fine.

yes, epilepsy cause by the disruption in the conductance of the impulses by the nerve cells. Imbalance between the inhibition and the excitation of the nerve impulse in the brain cause epilepsy.

No. Diseases are generally not capitalised, unless they are at the start of a sentence or take their name from a person.

Generally it is about 0.5% of people will have some sort of epilepsy in their lifetime, so that would be the percentage for women.

About 1 in every 200 people, that is 0.5%, have epilepsy. Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurring seizures. In other words people who have epilepsy can have seizures regularly. Everyone has the potential to have seizures in their lifetime, but may only do so once or twice, and so they are not classed as having epilepsy.

Certain self administered tests can be done and interpreted by any layman. The classic thermometer is a device used to take the body temperature. Another is the drug store blood pressure cuff. One can take one's blood pressure to keep check on certain conditions such as high blood pressure.

These simple measures will help doctors because the baseline of these tests can be very closely monitored by the patient who can call if the result is abnormal.

Epilepsy is not necessarily a genetic condition. It is not infectious either. If there is no family history prior to a particular individual having epilepsy, there is nothing to say that it will be passed down. Epilepsy has a wide range of causes. You would need to know what the specific causes are before you could say anything. Epilepsy can be unique to a family member. It is generally a physical condition. A parent having a broken arm is not likely to have a child with a broken arm born to them. So unless there is a definite family history, it is unlikely that a parent having epilepsy would pass it on. Talk to your doctor.

Epilepsy is the name of the condition, so anyone that has it all the time. Some get seizures daily, which is what you are referring to, and some people do not get seizures ever day, but still have epilepsy. Epilepsy comes in different forms and different levels of severity. So some people have it very serious and so they get seizures every day. Others may only get seizures every few days or every few weeks or every few months or even every few years. So the people who get seizures daily are the people who have a more severe form of epilepsy and have their seizures very regularly.

NO

No.

The answer to this is individual to the patient and it depends on the severity and frequency of the epileptic attacks. This can only be ascertained by a qualified medical Doctor whos decision is then applied to local law.

The biggest problem with illnesses that can potentially be dangerous in cars such as diabetics and epileptics is that, even if they are allowed to drive, most insurance companies will charge an unaffordable premium on insurance.

Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte did have epilepsy, as did Julius Caesar.

In the UK, if you're on anti-epileptic medication, you're not alllowed to give blood. In the US, the rules vary from state to state. There should be no problem with someone with epilepsy donating blood. It is not an infectious disease, so there would not be anything in the blood relating to it. You cannot catch epilepsy from someone else.

Each individual is different. The fact that someone has epilepsy may not have any effect on how you would give them a massage. So in the vast majority of occasions, there would be nothing in particular to be considered.

Epilepsy is not an infection. You cannot "catch" epilepsy off someone. It is a physical conditional. If someone had a broken arm and was sitting beside you, you could not catch their broken arm off them, like you could catch a cold off them if they had one. So no, epilepsy does not spread.

There is evidence to suggest that mold can cause seizures, but there are a huge range of things that can cause a seizure, so anyone who has had their first seizures would need to be seen by a doctor to try to work out what caused their seizures.

There are many forms and many causes of epilepsy. It is not a single standard condition. Epilepsy is defined as being the tendency to have recurring seizures and there are many causes of seizures. So no one treatment would work for all forms. So there is no medicine, either over the counter or prescribed, that will deal with all kinds. What works for one person may have no effect for someone else. Each case has to be assessed and then doctors can decide what is the best medication for that particular person. Someine needs to be assessed by a doctor to find out what could be the best for them. Doctors often have to try a few different types or combinations of different ones and try to get the correct dose to get the epilepsy under control.

Epilepsy is located in the brain. It depends on which type of seizures you have and the cause as to where it is comming from. Focal (simple and complex partial) seizures come from a single area of the brain. Generalized seizures come from multiple areas of the brain.

An EEG is for measuring the electrical activity of the brain and how it responds to stimuli. An MRI scan is more like an x-ray. It is for examining the physical structure of parts of the body. There is no saying which is more correct as they are measuring different things.

It absolutely can be fatal. Seizures can cause breathing problems, pressure on the heart etc. Falls during a seizure can cause severe head injuries, seizures while swimming or in the bath can cause drowning. Non stop seizures (status epilepticus) can be life threatening and requires immediate emergency treatment. A friend of my family died during a seizure due to cardiac arrest.

I worked with adults with severe epilepsy for 5yrs. I had one resident who had a huge fit in her bedroom.She was found in her bedroom slumped on her bed. We done CPR but nothing we done could save her. She had very bad epilepsy where she would not breath while having the seizure and she would need oxygen when she had finally come out of the seizure.

It is not an infection or virus. It is a physical condition. If someone has a broken arm, that is not contagious. Epilepsy is the same. So you cannot catch epilepsy from someone, just like you cannot catch a broken arm from someone.