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EpilepsySierraLynn Johnson
Maggie Trainor
Epilepsy
• Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures (convulsions) over time. Seizures are episodes of disturbed brain activity that cause changes in attention or behavior.
Causes
• Stroke• Dementia• Traumatic brain injury• Infections• Brain tumor• Brain injury during or near
birth• Metabolism disorders
Symptoms
• Staring spells• Violent shaking• Loss of alertness• Tingling• Smelling an odor that
isn’t there• Emotional changes
52 year-old woman with intractable seizures
Tests
• EEG: check electrical activity in the brain. For people with epilepsy it is often abnormal.
*Can show the area of the brain where the seizure starts.• Blood chemistry, blood sugar, complete blood count,
kidney function, liver function, lumbar puncture (spinal tap), infectious diseases
• Head CT or MRI
Treatment
• Surgery (remove abnormal brain cells) or medication
• Anticonvulsants: medication to prevent seizures
• Control diet
Expectations
• Some people can stop taking medicine after years without seizures.
• Childhood epilepsy can improve and sometimes disappear in the teens and 20s.
• For many, epilepsy is life-long.