Is epilepsy easy to treat?

Written by Tang Bo
Neurology
Updated on September 07, 2024
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Epilepsy is a disease for which the cause can be identified in some patients, while in others it may remain unknown. Initially, it is important to investigate the cause of epilepsy. Moreover, if an individual experiences multiple seizures, medication intervention becomes necessary. The primary goal of drug treatment for epilepsy is to control it and prevent further seizures, since each seizure can cause brain cell damage, potentially leading to long-term effects like memory decline and slower reaction times. Therefore, active control of epilepsy through medication is crucial. Whether epilepsy can be completely cured depends on its underlying cause. In some cases, identifying and eliminating the cause may prevent further seizures. However, for some patients, even if the cause is identified, such as a past stroke or tumors that induce epilepsy, seizures may continue even after the tumor is removed. Meanwhile, for epilepsy of unknown origins, the approach is to control the condition using medication to minimize the occurrence of seizures as much as possible, though it is not guaranteed that seizures will not happen again in the future.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

Common symptoms of epilepsy in children generally include sudden convulsions. During a convulsion, the typical manifestations are tightly closed or staring eyes, rolled-up eyeballs, clenched teeth, twitching at the corners of the mouth, frothing at the mouth, head and neck thrown back, and repetitive flexing or rigid shaking of the limbs. Generally, these can last for a few minutes, or vary from several seconds to ten minutes. Of course, there are also focal seizures, such as twitching of one side of the body, or absence seizures. Some infantile spasms are characterized by jackknife movements, occurring in clusters, with each display being different. The symptoms described earlier are typical of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure.

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Written by Li Jiao Yan
Neonatology
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What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

Epilepsy is a chronic brain disorder caused by various etiologies, characterized by repetitive, episodic, and transient central nervous system dysfunction due to abnormal and excessively synchronized discharges of brain neurons. The clinical manifestations of childhood epilepsy are complex and varied, commonly including loss of consciousness, localized or generalized muscular rigidity or clonic convulsions, and sensory abnormalities; there may also be abnormal behaviors, emotional and perceptual disturbances, memory changes, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

The typical symptoms of childhood epilepsy include sudden loss of consciousness, followed initially by tonic and then clonic convulsions, often accompanied by screaming, cyanotic facial complexion, frothing or bleeding at the mouth, dilated pupils, generally lasting 40 seconds or up to 15 minutes. The convulsive seizure stops naturally, followed by a state of coma. Of course, some affected children also display varying degrees of consciousness disorders, evident disruptions in thinking, perception, emotion, and psychomotor functions, and may show signs of conditions like somnambulism and noctambulism, among other automatisms.

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Written by Yan Xin Liang
Pediatrics
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Precursors to epileptic seizures in children

The majority of childhood epilepsy seizures occur without any precursors, as they arise and cease suddenly with stereotyped movements. However, some seizures are preceded by prodromes, such as sudden onset of consciousness disturbances, or fainting symptoms. Other seizures can present with motor dysfunctions, displaying sudden weakness or fatigue in certain limbs, followed by an epileptic attack. Additionally, some may experience abnormal sensations, such as numbness in a specific area or visual disturbances, including sudden flashes or even visual distortions, leading to convulsive seizures.

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Written by Liu Shi Xiang
Neurology
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Why does epilepsy occur at night?

Epilepsy that occurs at night is called sleep-related epilepsy. There are many reasons for this phenomenon, such as excessive fatigue, irregular sleep, menstrual onset, anxiety, depression, and more. Additionally, some patients exhale more carbon dioxide during sleep, causing hyperventilation and internal environmental imbalances, which can easily lead to abnormal discharges of brain neurons. When some patients experience symptoms of epilepsy at night, timely intervention and treatment are needed. First, patients should develop a good lifestyle, go to bed on time, get up on time, avoid staying up late, and avoid excessive fatigue. Furthermore, targeted medication should be given to prevent the onset of the condition. Common medications include lamotrigine, levetiracetam, carbamazepine, and sodium valproate. Besides, patients also need to maintain a good mindset and avoid tense and anxious emotions that could exacerbate symptoms.