COURSE- BIOLOGY 103, SUMMER 2010

FACULTY-SKK

GROUP-6

1)MUNTASEER ALAM - 0930725545

2)MUSA HABIB KISHAN - 0930442030

3) FIROZA KAWSAR - 1010927026

4)TAHIA ASAD- 0930544530

EPILEPSY

INTRODUCTION• Epilepsy is a neurological condition, which affects the nervous system. Epilepsy

is also known as a seizure disorder. It is usually diagnosed after a person has had at least two seizures that were not caused by some known medical condition like alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar. According to the International League Against Epilepsy, epilepsy can be diagnosed after one seizure, if a person has a condition that places them at high risk for having another.

• The seizures in epilepsy may be related to a 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 how severe they are.

CAUSE OF EPILEPSYThere is a fine balance in the brain between factors that begin electrical activity and factors that restrict it, and there are also systems that limit the spread of electrical activity. During a seizure, these limits break down, and abnormal electrical discharges can occur and spread to whole groups of neighboring cells at once. This linkage of electrical discharges creates a "storm" of electrical activity in the brain. This is a seizure. When a person has had at least two of these seizures, that's called epilepsy.

VICTIMS OF EPILEPSY

Epilepsy can develop in any person at any age. 0.5% to 2% of people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime. People with certain conditions may be at greater risk. About 2.7 million Americans have been treated for epilepsy in the past 5 years. That's 8 or 9 out of every 1,000 people. In other words, out of 60,000 people filling a big stadium, about 500 have epilepsy. More men than women have epilepsy.

THE TIME PEOPLE ARE MOST LIKELY TO GET EPILEPSY

New cases of epilepsy are most common among children, especially during the first year of life. The rate of new cases gradually declines until about age 10, and then becomes stable. After age 55 or 60, the rate starts to increase, as people develop strokes, brain tumors, or Alzheimer's disease. (All of these disorders can cause epilepsy.)

FACTS ABOUT EPILEPSY• Up to 5% of the world’s population may have a single seizure at some time

in their lives.

• It is likely that around 60 million people in the world have epilepsy at any one time.

• Children and adolescents are more likely to have epilepsy of unknown or genetic origin than adults.

• Epilepsy can start at any age.

• Recent studies show that seizures in up to 70% of children and adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy can be controlled with medications; however, many of these people experience treatment-related side effects.

• Seizures in up to 30% of people with epilepsy do not respond to available medications.

THE START OF EPILEPSY• The reasons why epilepsy begins are different for people of different ages. But

what's true for every age is that the cause is unknown for about half of everyone with epilepsy.

• Children may be born with a defect in the structure of their brain, or they may suffer a head injury or infection that causes their epilepsy. Severe head injury is the most common known cause in young adults. In middle age, strokes, tumors, and injuries are more frequent. In people over 65, stroke is the most common known cause, followed by degenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

The reason why it sometimes take years before someone with a brain injury experiences a seizure• Often seizures do not begin immediately after a person has an injury to the

brain. Instead, a seizure may happen many months later. We do not have a good explanation for this common observation, but scientists are actively researching this subject

EPILEPSY- INHERITED OR NOTIt may seem obvious that heredity (genetics) plays an important role in many cases of epilepsy in very young children, but it can be a factor for people of any age. For instance, not everyone who has a serious head injury (a clear cause of seizures) will develop epilepsy. Those who do develop epilepsy are more likely to have a history of seizures in their family. This family history suggests that it is easier for them to develop epilepsy than for others with no genetic predisposition.

• When a disorder is defined by a characteristic group of features that usually occur together, it is called a syndrome. These features may include symptoms, which are problems that the patient will notice. They also may include signs, which are things that the doctor will find during the examination or with laboratory tests. Doctors and other health care professionals often use syndromes to describe a patient's epilepsy.

Epilepsy syndromes are defined by a cluster of features. These features may include :

• The type or types of seizures

• The age at which the seizures begin

• The causes of the seizures

• Whether the seizures are inherited

• The part of the brain involved

• Factors that provoke seizures

• How severe and how frequent the seizures are

• A pattern of seizures by time of day

• Certain patterns on the EEG, during seizures and between seizures

• Other disorders in addition to seizures

• The prospects for recovery or worsening

TYPES OF EPILEPSY

*CONTINUATION TO TYPES OF EPILEPSY

*Not every syndrome will be defined by all these features, but most syndromes will be defined by a number of them. Classifying a patient's epilepsy as belonging to a certain syndrome often provides information on what medications or other treatments will be most helpful. It also may help the doctor to predict whether the seizures will go into remission (lessen or disappear).

SLEEP AND EPILEPSY• We all know that we think more clearly, react more quickly, and generally

perform better after a good night's sleep. And while a good night’s sleep plays a key role in the overall well-being and health of all people it is even more vital in people with epilepsy. One reason why is because a lack of sleep or poor quality of sleep can in turn increase frequency of seizures. The reasons why sleep deprivation provokes seizures are unclear. However, what we do know is that the sleep-wake cycle is associated with prominent changes in brain electrical activity, so seizures and the sleep-wake cycle are often clearly related. We also know that most types of seizures are affected by sleep, although the degree varies greatly from type to type and patient to patient. Further, there are hormonal changes during sleep that could possibly be related to seizures. Finally, the effects of seizures and seizure medicines on the quality of your sleep can make the relationship even more complicated.

EPILEPSY MEDICATIONSMedicines to prevent epileptic seizures are called antiepileptic.

Taking only one antiepileptic medicine prevents seizures in up to 7 out of 10 people who have partial seizures. About 8 out of 10 people have complete seizure control when they take more than one antiepileptic medicine.2 Although many people experience side effects, medicine is still the best way to prevent epileptic seizures. The benefits of treatment with medicine usually outweigh the drawbacks.

There are many antiepileptic medicines (called AEDs, anticonvulsants, or anti-seizure medicines). But they do not all treat the same types of seizures. The first step your doctor takes in choosing a medicine to treat your seizures is to identify the types of seizures you have.

Although epilepsy is a condition that causes repeated seizures, it is quiet common. Seizures may cause problems with muscle control, movement, speech, vision, or awareness. They usually don't last very long, but they can be scary. The good news is that with the help of our advanced treatment, we can control and reduce seizures.

THE END