KANPUR:
Epilepsy is still considered to be a curse. One might have experienced
the panic if somebody around has fallen on the ground after developing
sudden convulsions. Some might have given the person an iron rod or made
him smell shoes, while others would have held his lower limbs tight to
control the body. In case of children, the problem becomes more painful
for both parents and a child.
During epileptic seizures, the child could get hurt seriously if wrongly treated by the people around him or her. Therefore, to provide proper treatment to such kids suffering from fits, the paediatrics department of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College has been running special clinic for children suffering from epilepsy. Claiming to have cured 300 kids suffering from the ailment, Dr RP Singh, head of department of paediatrics has been running special OPD for this particular disease.
During epileptic seizures, the child could get hurt seriously if wrongly treated by the people around him or her. Therefore, to provide proper treatment to such kids suffering from fits, the paediatrics department of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College has been running special clinic for children suffering from epilepsy. Claiming to have cured 300 kids suffering from the ailment, Dr RP Singh, head of department of paediatrics has been running special OPD for this particular disease.
"The motive to start the clinic was to deal with kids suffering from
epilepsy. In normal OPDs, it is difficult to give ample time to each
child due to heavy rush. Therefore, on Thursdays there is special OPD
for epileptic kids. Parents play a crucial role. Counselling sessions
are being held to make parents aware how to deal with the kid and what
precautionary measures are to be taken at the time of fits," Dr Singh
added.
As many as 725 children are availing treatment at epilepsy clinic and more than 300 have been cured so far. Since the past three years, Dr Singh has been running this clinic and believes that treatment should be given systematically. He said that in comparison to adults, epilepsy is more common in children.
Epilepsy is the disorder of the brain and central nervous system where abnormal electric impulse leads to uncontrolled, involuntary movement of the body. The balance between the factors that begin electrical activity and factors that restrict it is lost, resulting in the body jerking. Several reasons are cited for the cause of the disease like neurocystisarcosis (worms from intestine reach brain), tuberculosis of brain, brain tumour, brain stroke and even genetic. In most of the cases, the cause of the fits remains unknown.
According to Dr Singh, the prime cause of epilepsy is insanitary condition. Out of the 725 children who are presently undergoing treatment at the epilepsy clinic, 35 per cent are those suffering from neurocystisarcosis and nearly 25 per cent having tuberculosis of brain.
According to Dr IN Vajpayee, professor, neurosurgery, ( GSVM Medical College, the symptomatic epilepsy can be due to tumour, infection or any kind of injury in the brain, electrolyte imbalance, hypertension and systemic disorder. However, the most commonly found epileptic cases are due to worms infecting the brain.
He said that five in every one thousand persons suffer from epilepsy. There are two types of cerebral irritations, one is symptomatic where the cause of the fits can be recognised and other is idiopathic which is quite prevalent. It is difficult to identify the reasons for the epileptic fits.
Proper knowledge of the medical history can help, because screening of patients with EEGs may not accurately indicate the history of seizures in at least 30 per cent cases.
Neurology professor Dr Navneet Kumar said that it is important to understand what should be done at the time of seizures. The disease can occur at any age and the patients visiting the neuro unit varied from 1 to 84 years.
"One should not put any metal item in the mouth of the person or make them hold iron rod. When you stay calm and act sensible, you might help them better," he says. He insisted that families should encourage people to take medicines every day, even when they are not having seizures and should stop taking pill after the doctor's recommendation
As many as 725 children are availing treatment at epilepsy clinic and more than 300 have been cured so far. Since the past three years, Dr Singh has been running this clinic and believes that treatment should be given systematically. He said that in comparison to adults, epilepsy is more common in children.
Epilepsy is the disorder of the brain and central nervous system where abnormal electric impulse leads to uncontrolled, involuntary movement of the body. The balance between the factors that begin electrical activity and factors that restrict it is lost, resulting in the body jerking. Several reasons are cited for the cause of the disease like neurocystisarcosis (worms from intestine reach brain), tuberculosis of brain, brain tumour, brain stroke and even genetic. In most of the cases, the cause of the fits remains unknown.
According to Dr Singh, the prime cause of epilepsy is insanitary condition. Out of the 725 children who are presently undergoing treatment at the epilepsy clinic, 35 per cent are those suffering from neurocystisarcosis and nearly 25 per cent having tuberculosis of brain.
According to Dr IN Vajpayee, professor, neurosurgery, ( GSVM Medical College, the symptomatic epilepsy can be due to tumour, infection or any kind of injury in the brain, electrolyte imbalance, hypertension and systemic disorder. However, the most commonly found epileptic cases are due to worms infecting the brain.
He said that five in every one thousand persons suffer from epilepsy. There are two types of cerebral irritations, one is symptomatic where the cause of the fits can be recognised and other is idiopathic which is quite prevalent. It is difficult to identify the reasons for the epileptic fits.
Proper knowledge of the medical history can help, because screening of patients with EEGs may not accurately indicate the history of seizures in at least 30 per cent cases.
Neurology professor Dr Navneet Kumar said that it is important to understand what should be done at the time of seizures. The disease can occur at any age and the patients visiting the neuro unit varied from 1 to 84 years.
"One should not put any metal item in the mouth of the person or make them hold iron rod. When you stay calm and act sensible, you might help them better," he says. He insisted that families should encourage people to take medicines every day, even when they are not having seizures and should stop taking pill after the doctor's recommendation
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE IN CASE OF SEIZURE
* Stay calm and do not panic to take control of the situation
* Make space for the patient to lie down
* Turn the person to his/her side so that fluid from the mouth can safely flow out
* Do not force anything in the patient's mouth or hand
* Let the person rest for some time after the seizure
* Call the doctor if seizure lasts more than 10 minutes
Facts about epilepsy
* Nearly 70 per cent of people think it cannot be cured but according to doctors it can be treated
* In most of the cases, the reason is not known
* The prescribed medicines should be taken regularly to control the fits
* Stay calm and do not panic to take control of the situation
* Make space for the patient to lie down
* Turn the person to his/her side so that fluid from the mouth can safely flow out
* Do not force anything in the patient's mouth or hand
* Let the person rest for some time after the seizure
* Call the doctor if seizure lasts more than 10 minutes
Facts about epilepsy
* Nearly 70 per cent of people think it cannot be cured but according to doctors it can be treated
* In most of the cases, the reason is not known
* The prescribed medicines should be taken regularly to control the fits
Jeddah: Fouzia Khan
Sunday 6 May 2012
Although some people still believe in the myth that epilepsy,
which is also known as seizure disorder, is related to jinns, science
has proved that it is a disease related to the brain.
April 16 is World Epilepsy Awareness Day, an international effort dedicated to increase awareness about epilepsy worldwide. The day is also known as purple day.
Similar efforts were shown at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) Jeddah by organizing the second epilepsy awareness day at its premises under the supervision of the neuroscience department. There were stalls of epilepsy support and information centers with information on the different procedures of epilepsy treatment, including long-term monitoring, medications, neurosurgery, neuropsychiatry, neuroradiology, diagnostic test, social or psychological support, public information meetings and educational outreach programs for schools.
Dr. Youssef Al-Said, chairman of the neuroscience department and director of the epilepsy center at KFSHRC, told Arab News in an exclusive interview that King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center is the main center for treatment in the country.
“We treat all kinds of epilepsy patients at the King Faisal Epilepsy Treatment Center. We have a comprehensive epilepsy program, consisting of epilogists, doctors, nurses, surgeons, psychiatrists, neurologists,” said Dr. Al-Said.
KFSHRC is one of the excellent centers in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East that receives patients from around the Kingdom.
“We proceed with the treatment according to the needs of the patient. We treat him medically or surgically, and we observe or monitor the patient with long-term monitoring instruments to find out the main cause under the observation of experts,” he explained.
He also explained that many people related epilepsy with supernatural things and acts of jinns. However, epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects the nervous system. Epilepsy is also known as seizure disorder, similar to seizures not caused by known medical conditions, like alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar.
The seizures in epilepsy may be related to brain injury or a family tendency, but most of the time the cause is unknown. The word "epilepsy" does not indicate anything about the cause of the person's seizures, what type they are, or their severity.
“After finding the seizure problem with long-term monitoring, we do our surgical procedure and MRI, but if we can’t find the problem through this procedure, we do intracranial monitoring of the brain,” said Dr. Al-Said.
About 70 percent of epileptic patients are treated medically, while 20 percent are treated by surgery. The rest is treated with other treatments, like left vagus nerve stimulation, in which they install a pacemaker to inhabit the brain epileptic discharge, or by giving a ketogenic diet to the patient, which helps reducing the incidence of seizures. Relaxation and psychotherapy are also used to treat epileptic patients.
“Installation of a pacemaker is done in a few countries in the world, and KFSHRC is one of the hospitals in the Kingdom that is doing this surgery. The peacemaker reduces seizures by 50 percent,” said Dr. Al-Said.
The doctor explained that epilepsy is a common and curable disease, and that in the US almost 3.5 million people are affected with epilepsy.
“We need to believe that epilepsy is an organic disease; there is a legion in the brain that causes the seizures,” said Dr. Al-Said.
He emphasized the importance of awareness about epilepsy for the public. A patient should be referred to an epilepsy clinic in a specialized hospital, and the family should know where to take the patient.
“I want to say that epilepsy should not carry a bad stigma. It is not an inherited disease, and it is not transmitted at all, so marriage and pregnancy for such people are normal. Just during pregnancy, patients can take antiepileptic medicines with the recommendation of a doctor, which has the very least affect on the baby. Also, taking extra folic acid can save the baby from any harm,” said Dr. Al-Said.
Dr. Al-Said further said they believed 120,000 people are affected with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia, according to the national epilepsy registry record. Around 10,000 patients need surgical treatment. King Faisal Hospital Riyadh dealt with 650 epilepsy cases in the last six years; the Jeddah hospital treated 240 cases with successful results.
About 80 percent of the epileptic patients become seizure-free and can live their life normally after the treatment; only 20 percent suffer for their whole life or have to take medicines.
“I think it is extremely valuable to know what is epilepsy, especially for people who are suffering from the problem. This awareness day gives a lot of experience on how to deal with surgical intervention and problems. It’s a day we celebrate once a year to be part of the world and to carry out our social responsibility,” said Najeeb Yamani, director of community relations.
Many visitors said that awareness programs could give hope to families that treatment is available. It is necessary to bring awareness, and people should learn the importance of a comprehensive program about epilepsy in the country, because it is an extremely challenging disease for the family and society. In Jeddah there is no epilepsy society, which is crucial.
“Raising awareness is essential, and we are not only trying to make society aware and treat patients, but also to train doctors,” said Parwaiz Khalid, acting director of clinical services at KFSHRC.
A visitor, Nada Kavlee, also praised the efforts of the hospital about the awareness program, but she also emphasized on spreading awareness about epilepsy at schools, universities and public places.
“Epilepsy is treatable and also curable sometimes; but if not
treated, it kills,” warned Dr Solomon L. Moshe, president of the
International League Against Epilepsy.
“The disease is at least 4,000-years-old and one per cent of the world population is suffering from it. While 50 to 60 per cent patients can be treated with medicines only, others require surgery,” he told Deccan Chronicle in an interview here.
According to him, though the disease was found to run in families, genetic factors alone were not responsible for it. “Damage to the brain due to a variety of causes can trigger the disease.
Even people with normal brain can get epilepsy. Though violent seizures are caused by the disease, not all seizures may be due to epilepsy.”
Dr Solomon, who is the director of pediatric neurology and clinical neuro-physiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, said people tended to keep the disease under wraps in countries such as India due to social taboos. “But leaving epilepsy untreated can damage the brain and in children it can lead to learning problems.”
“Epilepsy is a brain disease and not a psychiatric illness,” he added. He said researchers were out to locate biomarkers for better diagnosis of the disease.
Dr Solomon was here in connection with the annual conference of Indian Epilepsy Association & Indian Epilepsy Society.
He said often epileptic people needed long and continuous medication. The disease could relapse in patients who stopped medication without the doctors' advice. T
he league was working with governments across the world to promote awareness about the disease and help in the easy availability of drugs like phenobarbitone for the treatment, he said.
April 16 is World Epilepsy Awareness Day, an international effort dedicated to increase awareness about epilepsy worldwide. The day is also known as purple day.
Similar efforts were shown at King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center (KFSHRC) Jeddah by organizing the second epilepsy awareness day at its premises under the supervision of the neuroscience department. There were stalls of epilepsy support and information centers with information on the different procedures of epilepsy treatment, including long-term monitoring, medications, neurosurgery, neuropsychiatry, neuroradiology, diagnostic test, social or psychological support, public information meetings and educational outreach programs for schools.
Dr. Youssef Al-Said, chairman of the neuroscience department and director of the epilepsy center at KFSHRC, told Arab News in an exclusive interview that King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center is the main center for treatment in the country.
“We treat all kinds of epilepsy patients at the King Faisal Epilepsy Treatment Center. We have a comprehensive epilepsy program, consisting of epilogists, doctors, nurses, surgeons, psychiatrists, neurologists,” said Dr. Al-Said.
KFSHRC is one of the excellent centers in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East that receives patients from around the Kingdom.
“We proceed with the treatment according to the needs of the patient. We treat him medically or surgically, and we observe or monitor the patient with long-term monitoring instruments to find out the main cause under the observation of experts,” he explained.
He also explained that many people related epilepsy with supernatural things and acts of jinns. However, epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects the nervous system. Epilepsy is also known as seizure disorder, similar to seizures not caused by known medical conditions, like alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar.
The seizures in epilepsy may be related to brain injury or a family tendency, but most of the time the cause is unknown. The word "epilepsy" does not indicate anything about the cause of the person's seizures, what type they are, or their severity.
“After finding the seizure problem with long-term monitoring, we do our surgical procedure and MRI, but if we can’t find the problem through this procedure, we do intracranial monitoring of the brain,” said Dr. Al-Said.
About 70 percent of epileptic patients are treated medically, while 20 percent are treated by surgery. The rest is treated with other treatments, like left vagus nerve stimulation, in which they install a pacemaker to inhabit the brain epileptic discharge, or by giving a ketogenic diet to the patient, which helps reducing the incidence of seizures. Relaxation and psychotherapy are also used to treat epileptic patients.
“Installation of a pacemaker is done in a few countries in the world, and KFSHRC is one of the hospitals in the Kingdom that is doing this surgery. The peacemaker reduces seizures by 50 percent,” said Dr. Al-Said.
The doctor explained that epilepsy is a common and curable disease, and that in the US almost 3.5 million people are affected with epilepsy.
“We need to believe that epilepsy is an organic disease; there is a legion in the brain that causes the seizures,” said Dr. Al-Said.
He emphasized the importance of awareness about epilepsy for the public. A patient should be referred to an epilepsy clinic in a specialized hospital, and the family should know where to take the patient.
“I want to say that epilepsy should not carry a bad stigma. It is not an inherited disease, and it is not transmitted at all, so marriage and pregnancy for such people are normal. Just during pregnancy, patients can take antiepileptic medicines with the recommendation of a doctor, which has the very least affect on the baby. Also, taking extra folic acid can save the baby from any harm,” said Dr. Al-Said.
Dr. Al-Said further said they believed 120,000 people are affected with epilepsy in Saudi Arabia, according to the national epilepsy registry record. Around 10,000 patients need surgical treatment. King Faisal Hospital Riyadh dealt with 650 epilepsy cases in the last six years; the Jeddah hospital treated 240 cases with successful results.
About 80 percent of the epileptic patients become seizure-free and can live their life normally after the treatment; only 20 percent suffer for their whole life or have to take medicines.
“I think it is extremely valuable to know what is epilepsy, especially for people who are suffering from the problem. This awareness day gives a lot of experience on how to deal with surgical intervention and problems. It’s a day we celebrate once a year to be part of the world and to carry out our social responsibility,” said Najeeb Yamani, director of community relations.
Many visitors said that awareness programs could give hope to families that treatment is available. It is necessary to bring awareness, and people should learn the importance of a comprehensive program about epilepsy in the country, because it is an extremely challenging disease for the family and society. In Jeddah there is no epilepsy society, which is crucial.
“Raising awareness is essential, and we are not only trying to make society aware and treat patients, but also to train doctors,” said Parwaiz Khalid, acting director of clinical services at KFSHRC.
A visitor, Nada Kavlee, also praised the efforts of the hospital about the awareness program, but she also emphasized on spreading awareness about epilepsy at schools, universities and public places.
Epilepsy kills if not treated, warns Dr Solomon Moshe
“The disease is at least 4,000-years-old and one per cent of the world population is suffering from it. While 50 to 60 per cent patients can be treated with medicines only, others require surgery,” he told Deccan Chronicle in an interview here.
According to him, though the disease was found to run in families, genetic factors alone were not responsible for it. “Damage to the brain due to a variety of causes can trigger the disease.
Even people with normal brain can get epilepsy. Though violent seizures are caused by the disease, not all seizures may be due to epilepsy.”
Dr Solomon, who is the director of pediatric neurology and clinical neuro-physiology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, said people tended to keep the disease under wraps in countries such as India due to social taboos. “But leaving epilepsy untreated can damage the brain and in children it can lead to learning problems.”
“Epilepsy is a brain disease and not a psychiatric illness,” he added. He said researchers were out to locate biomarkers for better diagnosis of the disease.
Dr Solomon was here in connection with the annual conference of Indian Epilepsy Association & Indian Epilepsy Society.
He said often epileptic people needed long and continuous medication. The disease could relapse in patients who stopped medication without the doctors' advice. T
he league was working with governments across the world to promote awareness about the disease and help in the easy availability of drugs like phenobarbitone for the treatment, he said.
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