Is epilepsy a disease you only take drugs for?…symptoms and treatments you should know [e-Health Quick Take]
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St. Peter's Hospital 26-07-25 07:00Main content
Advancing technology brings new drugs and therapies… early diagnosis is key
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease in which temporary seizures occur repeatedly because of hyperexcitability of the nerve cells in the brain. Epileptic seizures are broadly divided into partial seizures and generalized seizures. Partial seizures are hyperexcitable seizures of nerve cells that begin in one part of the cerebral cortex, while generalized seizures begin over a wide area of both cerebral hemispheres.
About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and the number of patients in Korea is estimated at about 360,000. More than 20,000 new patients occur each year, and it can appear at any age, from infants to the elderly. Incidence is particularly high within the first year of life and after the age of 60.
Advancing technology brings new drugs and therapies… early diagnosis is key
There is a saying that 'you only know how precious health is once you have lost it'. It means that nothing is more precious than living happily and in good health. Through 'Etoday Health Tips (e-Health Tips)', produced together with doctors in Korea, we introduce useful health information worth knowing in everyday life.
(Getty Images Bank)
(Getty Images Bank)
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease in which temporary seizures occur repeatedly because of hyperexcitability of the nerve cells in the brain. Epileptic seizures are broadly divided into partial seizures and generalized seizures. Partial seizures are hyperexcitable seizures of nerve cells that begin in one part of the cerebral cortex, while generalized seizures begin over a wide area of both cerebral hemispheres.
About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and the number of patients in Korea is estimated at about 360,000. More than 20,000 new patients occur each year, and it can appear at any age, from infants to the elderly. Incidence is particularly high within the first year of life and after the age of 60.
Besides generalized convulsions, epileptic seizures take many forms depending on the patient, including brief loss of consciousness, memory lapses, blank staring and repetitive behavior. Some patients experience only tingling or abnormal sensation in the limbs, or autonomic symptoms. Because the symptoms are so varied, they are not uncommonly mistaken for simple fatigue or for another condition.
The causes of epilepsy are equally varied. Stroke, head trauma, brain tumors, encephalitis, congenital brain malformations, degenerative brain disease and genetic factors are among the main ones. As the population ages, epilepsy that develops after stroke or dementia is also on the rise.
The mainstay of treatment is antiseizure medication. About 70% of patients can control their seizures over the long term with drug treatment alone. About 30%, however, have 'drug-resistant epilepsy', in which seizures recur even with the appropriate use of two or more drugs. In such cases it is necessary to review other treatment options rather than simply continuing to change medications.
Epilepsy treatment has recently been developing beyond reducing the number of seizures toward improving patients' quality of life. New medications with fewer side effects and greater efficacy than existing drugs are being introduced, and tailored treatment that takes the patient's age, seizure type and accompanying conditions into account is being provided.
Surgical treatment is also an important option. As precision testing technology that can accurately locate the area of the brain causing seizures advances, the safety and the outcomes of surgery are improving. Even when a cure is difficult, neurostimulation treatments such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can reduce seizure frequency and improve daily life.
Experts stress that epilepsy should not be thought of only as 'a disease you have to take drugs for all your life'. If the right time for diagnosis and treatment is not missed, a considerable number of patients can go about daily life without seizures, and applying medication, surgery and neurostimulation to suit the patient's condition can improve treatment outcomes still further.
Hong Seung-bong, Director of the Epilepsy & Sleep Center at St. Peter's Hospital, said, "In the past a lack of treatment infrastructure made it difficult to provide care suited to each patient, but with new treatments and specialized epilepsy centers appearing, the diagnostic and treatment environment is changing rapidly," adding, "In future, research into and development of a variety of strategies should make it possible to offer many patients 'a life without seizures'."
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease in which temporary seizures occur repeatedly because of hyperexcitability of the nerve cells in the brain. Epileptic seizures are broadly divided into partial seizures and generalized seizures. Partial seizures are hyperexcitable seizures of nerve cells that begin in one part of the cerebral cortex, while generalized seizures begin over a wide area of both cerebral hemispheres.
About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and the number of patients in Korea is estimated at about 360,000. More than 20,000 new patients occur each year, and it can appear at any age, from infants to the elderly. Incidence is particularly high within the first year of life and after the age of 60.
Advancing technology brings new drugs and therapies… early diagnosis is key
There is a saying that 'you only know how precious health is once you have lost it'. It means that nothing is more precious than living happily and in good health. Through 'Etoday Health Tips (e-Health Tips)', produced together with doctors in Korea, we introduce useful health information worth knowing in everyday life.
(Getty Images Bank)
(Getty Images Bank)
Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease in which temporary seizures occur repeatedly because of hyperexcitability of the nerve cells in the brain. Epileptic seizures are broadly divided into partial seizures and generalized seizures. Partial seizures are hyperexcitable seizures of nerve cells that begin in one part of the cerebral cortex, while generalized seizures begin over a wide area of both cerebral hemispheres.
About 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, and the number of patients in Korea is estimated at about 360,000. More than 20,000 new patients occur each year, and it can appear at any age, from infants to the elderly. Incidence is particularly high within the first year of life and after the age of 60.
Besides generalized convulsions, epileptic seizures take many forms depending on the patient, including brief loss of consciousness, memory lapses, blank staring and repetitive behavior. Some patients experience only tingling or abnormal sensation in the limbs, or autonomic symptoms. Because the symptoms are so varied, they are not uncommonly mistaken for simple fatigue or for another condition.
The causes of epilepsy are equally varied. Stroke, head trauma, brain tumors, encephalitis, congenital brain malformations, degenerative brain disease and genetic factors are among the main ones. As the population ages, epilepsy that develops after stroke or dementia is also on the rise.
The mainstay of treatment is antiseizure medication. About 70% of patients can control their seizures over the long term with drug treatment alone. About 30%, however, have 'drug-resistant epilepsy', in which seizures recur even with the appropriate use of two or more drugs. In such cases it is necessary to review other treatment options rather than simply continuing to change medications.
Epilepsy treatment has recently been developing beyond reducing the number of seizures toward improving patients' quality of life. New medications with fewer side effects and greater efficacy than existing drugs are being introduced, and tailored treatment that takes the patient's age, seizure type and accompanying conditions into account is being provided.
Surgical treatment is also an important option. As precision testing technology that can accurately locate the area of the brain causing seizures advances, the safety and the outcomes of surgery are improving. Even when a cure is difficult, neurostimulation treatments such as deep brain stimulation (DBS) and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) can reduce seizure frequency and improve daily life.
Experts stress that epilepsy should not be thought of only as 'a disease you have to take drugs for all your life'. If the right time for diagnosis and treatment is not missed, a considerable number of patients can go about daily life without seizures, and applying medication, surgery and neurostimulation to suit the patient's condition can improve treatment outcomes still further.
Hong Seung-bong, Director of the Epilepsy & Sleep Center at St. Peter's Hospital, said, "In the past a lack of treatment infrastructure made it difficult to provide care suited to each patient, but with new treatments and specialized epilepsy centers appearing, the diagnostic and treatment environment is changing rapidly," adding, "In future, research into and development of a variety of strategies should make it possible to offer many patients 'a life without seizures'."