EPILEPSY – Epilepsy is a general term that refers to a group of disorders causing electrical disturbances in the brain. Epilepsy is not a kind of mental illness as some might mistakenly think. It does not cause mental illness either. It does not indicate the intelligence level of the person and is not an intelligence indicator. Epilepsy is causes by several factors. In fact, anything that would disturb the normal activity pattern of the brain can cause or trigger an epileptic attack. Common causes of epilepsy include illness, brain damage or an abnormal brain development. However, more than half of epilepsy causes can not be determined and identified. Epilepsy can also be linked to other conditions. These conditions include the patients brain chemistry, heredity, environmental condition, other existing disorders and possible injuries like prenatal injury and head injury.

Epilepsy can be triggered by imbalances of chemicals in the brain. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters. They are responsible for transmitting electrical impulses to the brain. Some patients are believed to have too much neurotransmitters and others have too little. Sometimes, the chemical imbalance of microscopic neurotransmitters in the brain is genetically predisposed by nature. Sometimes it can be caused by injury or other possible diseases. Numerous epilepsy cases are linked to genetics. Some families are believed to possess a specific abnormal gene. It causes an abnormal way of the body in processing body chemicals such as potassium, calcium, and sodium. Genes are likewise able to influence the way we can metabolize drugs. It can cause abnormally formed neurons, visible with a microscope, in the brain. Other disorders can trigger epilepsy. Some of these disorders are brain tumors, Alzheimers disease, alcoholism, heart attacks and strokes, infectious diseases like meningitis, AIDs and encephalitis, cerebral palsy and autism.

Environmental exposure to carbon monoxide, lead and other chemicals too can trigger an epileptic seizure. Some drugs, alcohol, stress, hormonal changes, and lack of sleep may all trigger epilepsy. Withrawal from antidepressants and anxiolytics can also cause the same problem. Epilepsy can be dangerous especially if the seizure lasts more than five minutes at a time. In this condition, called status epilepticus, permanent brain damage, microscopically small or even larger, could be caused.

To diagnose epilepsy, the neurosurgeon first takes the medical history of the patient. With the patients medical history, the doctor will then have clues as to the patients family having seizures history or not, and as to what the patients seizure looked like which would help classify the type of seizure. The doctor will also have a chance to find out what the patient experienced before the seizure and what he was doing that could have probably triggered the attack. He will also have an opportunity to ask relevant questions such as possible alcohol withdrawal, drug withdrawal, drug abuse, infections, or injury. Tests to help confirm the diagnosis of epilepsy include electroencephalography, brain imaging such as computerized tomography scan and magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography scan. Blood tests are also done along with other neurological, developmental and behavioral tests related to seizure diagnosis.