Epilepsy
Abnormal responses of brain nerve cells, Early diagnosis and treatment are important!
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a condition in which the nerve cells of the brain become abnormally excited, causing recurrent seizures.
It is diagnosed as epilepsy when seizures recur two or more times without a specific cause such as sleep deprivation, excessive drinking or certain medications. Epilepsy has many causes, typically brain injury, brain tumor, cerebral infarction, encephalitis and cerebrovascular malformation.
In about 50% of all patients, however, no clear cause is found.
There are about 65 million people with epilepsy worldwide and about 360,000 in Korea, with more than 20,000 new cases of epilepsy each year.
Symptoms of an epileptic seizure
In an epileptic seizure, electrical signals in the brain increase excessively, causing a range of physical and cognitive symptoms.
Even with the same epilepsy, symptoms differ from person to person and seizures come on suddenly, making them hard to predict.
It usually lasts about 10 seconds to 1 minute, and recovery can take from a few seconds to several hours.
It usually lasts about 10 seconds to 1 minute, and recovery can take from a few seconds to several hours.
| Partial seizure (focal seizure) Seizures starting in one specific part of the brain |
|
|---|---|
| Simple partial seizure | Part of the body convulses or sensation changes while consciousness is kept |
| Complex partial seizure | Consciousness clouds, with repetitive movements (e.g. rubbing the hands together) appears |
| Secondarily generalized seizure | A partial seizure spreads through the brain and becomes generalized |
| Generalized seizure Seizures arising across the whole brain at once |
|
|---|---|
| Generalized stiffening Clonic seizure (grand mal) |
The whole body stiffens (tonic phase), then shakes violently (clonic phase) |
| Absence seizure (petit mal) | Blank staring or unresponsiveness for a few seconds |
| Myoclonic seizure | Part of the body trembles or twitches momentarily |
- Feeling anxious or fearful for no reason
- Perceiving strange smells or sounds (hallucination)
- Numbness or dulled sensation in part of the body
- Temporary confusion, memory loss, dizziness and fatigue
- May be accompanied by headache, muscle pain, nausea, etc.
Causes of epilepsy
| ① Causes differ by age |
|---|
|
| ② Acquired and genetic factors |
Brain infection (meningitis, encephalitis) Metabolic disease |
Family history, though it is mostly not hereditary |
Diagnosis and examination methods
- 1
- Epilepsy diagnostic tests
- 2
- Electroencephalography (EEG) – analyzing brain signal patterns during a seizure
- 3
- Brain MRI / CT – checking for structural abnormalities
- 4
- Blood test - checks for metabolic disease
Epilepsy treatment methods
Drug therapy
60~70% of epilepsy patients can control their seizures with anticonvulsants.
The effect of the medication can differ from patient to patient, so regular follow-up is needed.
Surgical treatment
For **refractory epilepsy (30~40%)** that is not controlled by medication, surgery such as resection of the epileptic focus may be considered.
Nerve stimulation therapy
Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS): a device implanted in the neck reduces seizures through nerve stimulation
Lifestyle management for epilepsy patients
- Take medication regularly – keep to the prescribed time and dose
- Enough sleep - fatigue raises the risk of triggering seizures
- Stress management – excessive tension and anxiety increase the likelihood of seizures
- Avoid alcohol and cut back on caffeine – heavy drinking and caffeine can overexcite the nerves
- Driving and operating machinery - loss of consciousness may occur
- Swimming, working at heights – safety precautions needed
- Excessive drinking – raises the risk of triggering a seizure
- If the patient is having a seizure, take care not to restrain or move them by force
- Protect the head and create a safe environment
- If a seizure lasts over 5 minutes, go to the hospital at once
“Epilepsy: early diagnosis and continuous treatment matter!”
At St. Peter's Hospital, we do our best to improve patients' quality of life through accurate diagnosis and individually tailored treatment.
If you suspect epilepsy, be sure to consult a specialist!
Post-treatment precautions
- Treatment results and duration may vary depending on individual symptoms.
- Temporary side effects may occur after treatment and vary with each individual's condition.
If epilepsy is troubling you, please consult our specialists.
Appointment with Dr. Hong, Seung Bong, Epilepsy & Sleep Center
