Living with Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a disordered response of a group of brain neurons that is characterized by a sudden decrease in the level of consciousness and the existence of seizures. This as a rule, but there are other types of epilepsy less bulky and more complex.

The causes of epilepsy can be several. The most frequent is an alteration of a group of neurons located in what is known as the temporal and deep area of ​​the brain known as mesial sclerosis.. It appears in children or young adults.

Cranial traumas with cerebral contusion can also cause some type of epilepsy. When it appears in mature age the first cause to rule out is a brain tumor.

Like the causes, the symptoms of epilepsy are very varied. They can be from small absences or lack of attention, which sometimes go almost unnoticed, to loss of knowledge with falling to the floor and convulsions of the extremities. There is then a state known as postcritical, in which the patient is disoriented, does not remember what happened and may even be some loss of strength in the extremities.

Living with epilepsy is the slavery of being aware of taking pills daily , having extensive social, sports and even work limitations and serious risk of driving vehicles. In generalized epilepsies or of great evil there is also the risk of suffering a strong trauma, even at home, due to sudden loss of consciousness and falling to the ground.

Before starting a treatment with medication, a very complete neurological study with electroencephalogram , magnetic resonance and even a hospital admission of the patient to make a video of 1 to 3 days to record the crises at the time the electroencephalogram is done.

If you do not see any brain injury that you had to operate and remove the treatment is with medication. However there is a group of patients, close to 10-20%, who do not respond to medication and then the surgical removal of the brain area that causes epilepsy is assessed if it can be done without sequelae.