Epilepsy Medically Speaking, the Disease

¶ … Epilepsy Medically speaking, the disease of epilepsy is part of a group of neurologic disorders characterized by recurring episodes of "convulsive seizures, sensory disturbances, abnormal behavior, loss of consciousness" or a combination of all (Glanz, 434). Epilepsy is usually classified as a specific disorder when a person experiences two or more seizures without a clear reason for the seizures. Some researchers believe epilepsy may be the result of a hereditary tendency or some type of brain injury, such as severe head trauma or stroke.

The condition of recurrent and unprovoked seizures is referred to as true epilepsy. Thus, it is a common misconception that all seizures are medically referred to as epilepsy. The causes of epilepsy are quite complex, but most agree that as its basis, it is related to some kind of dysfunction in the human brain. During an epileptic seizure, the brain systems that maintain and control the normal balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain's electrical activity are compromised.

For instance, the inhibitory nerve cells, or those that "switch on" other cells, become too active which may also be caused by an over-production of a specific neurotransmitter, being chemicals that stimulate cells to discharge electrical energy. To alter a person's behavior via a seizure, "a small group of abnormal cells cause changes in neighboring cells or in the cells that have the strongest connections.

Ultimately, groups of cells are activated at the same time, and electrical discharges within many cells become linked which creates a storm of electrical activity in the brain" (Devinsky, 89). All of this is related to the brain's most important function -- to organize all of the messages that the brain receives from the body and spinal cord, whether generated exteriorly or interiorly.

To accomplish this task, the brain has two mechanisms, a start and a stop and when the message is no longer required, the brain cancels it or "switches" it off. In a normal brain, the chemicals that maintain these two functions are well-synchronized, but in a person with epilepsy, a disruption of the chemical balance for these functions causes the messages to be sent and passed where they do not normally end up, resulting in a seizure.

The diagnosis of epilepsy is also complex and varied, but generally, a number of questions are asked by the physician which greatly aids in the accurate diagnosis of epilepsy. Some of these questions include issues on stress levels, a lack of sleep, any recent head trauma, the use of illegal or legal drugs and the physical position that the person was in prior to the seizure.

Also, questions are asked about the attack itself, such when it began, if there were any warning signs, any abnormal movement of the eyes, face, arms or legs and the loss of the ability to speak. Questions about how the person responded after the attack are also important, such as if the person was confused or tired, had normal speech abilities or experienced a severe headache. In addition, the diagnosis for epilepsy involves a number of tests and examinations that help to pinpoint the possible causes of the seizures.

Some of these tests are designed to eliminate obvious causes, while others, such as electrocardiograms (ECG) and electroencephalograms (EEG) are carried out to assist the specialist in epilepsy to make an accurate diagnosis. At times, "a physician may be reluctant to make any kind of diagnosis for epilepsy, especially if the afflicted person has experienced only one or two seizures or episodes" (Preston, 178). Thus, any true or accurate diagnosis of epilepsy is not confirmed until the tests results are conclusive and indisputable.

Since one of these tests is so important to the proper diagnosis of epilepsy, it must be examined in some detail. The routine EEG is the most common test for the disorder. The treatment and prevention of epilepsy is also complicated, yet in recent years, researchers have devised several way in which epilepsy can be successfully treated. After a true diagnosis has been established, the person afflicted with the disorder undergoes drug treatment via a number of specialized medications.

Due to recent advances in the study of epilepsy, an ever-increasing number of anti-epileptic medications are available, such as Tegretol, effective against generalized seizures; Zarontin; Lamictal, used in patients where previous treatment has been ineffective, and Frisium, effective against many types of seizures and usually prescribed for women who have seizures during their periods. Unlike other kinds of medication, epileptic drugs control the symptoms of the disorder rather than aiming for a cure.

This is accomplished by raising a person's seizure threshold, or by reducing their vulnerability to experiencing epileptic seizures. Chemically, they help to increase the brain's ability to "stop" or "turn off" the firing of neurons. Once the patient has reached a certain level, the so-called "steady state," the drug becomes highly effective, but some patients continue to have seizures which then requires higher and longer doses of the medication. Thus, the treatment of epilepsy is never a guaranteed success.

Despite all of the research which has been conducted by medical and scientific professionals within the last ten years or so, a cure for epilepsy has not been achieved. Yet there have been a number of advances, such as investigations into neurochemical and cellular changes linked to seizures, the mapping of genes (human genome), developing more effective anti-epileptic drugs, refining advanced techniques for mapping areas of the brain, and developing new epilepsy surgical procedures.

As a result of these advances, "diagnostic techniques have been improved and are more efficient than ever" (Turner, 214), some of which, such as a CAT scan and PET scan, have revealed startling information on exactly how epilepsy works and how it can possibly be reversed. While on the subject of treatment and cures for epilepsy, a certain case study reveals much about how epilepsy affects not only the patient but also his/her family and even social customs.

In 1982, Lia Lee, the daughter of Hmong refugees from Laos, became afflicted with epilepsy, yet her parents "believed that the seizures were caused by the flight of her soul from her body, known as gaug dab peg or "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down" ("The Spirit Catches," Internet). As a result, the little girl suffered greatly, due to her parents not giving her the proper medication doses as prescribed by her doctors.

This is a clear-cut example on how culture often clashes with science, for the treatment prescribed by the girl's doctors could possibly have saved her, but her parent's superstitious beliefs prevented it. For epilepsy, one form of therapy is known as the Ketogenic Diet, first used in the 1930's and made up of mostly fats, little or no carbohydrates and a small amount of protein which has shown to reduce "the frequency of seizures in more than half of the patients who followed it" (Turner, 214).

This diet is named ketogenic because it causes a metabolic change in the body called ketosis. On this diet, the body metabolizes its own protein which produces chemicals called ketone bodies and uric acid. But with the addition of phenytoin in 1938, this diet became one of great interest and.