Epilepsy, a neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures, affects millions worldwide, impacting lives in ways often misunderstood by society. World Epilepsy Day is a crucial platform to raise awareness, foster understanding, and challenge misconceptions surrounding this condition.
Types and Causes of Epilepsy
Epilepsy encompasses a range of conditions characterized by recurrent seizures, and the types of epilepsy are diverse, each with unique characteristics. Here are some common types:
- Focal onset seizures (Partial Seizures)
- Simple Focal Seizures: Involve a specific area of the brain. Symptoms may include twitching, altered emotions, or sensory changes.
- Complex Focal Seizures: Affects consciousness and may result in repetitive behaviours like lip-smacking or hand-rubbing.
- Generalized onset seizures
- Absence Seizures: Previously known as “petit mal” seizures, these often involve brief lapses in consciousness, staring, and subtle body movements.
- Tonic Seizures: Causes muscle stiffness and can lead to falls.
- Atonic Seizures: Results in a sudden loss of muscle control, leading to falls or a “drop attack”.
- Clonic Seizures: Involves rhythmic, jerking muscle movements.
- Myoclonic Seizures: Characterized by quick, uncontrollable jerks of muscles.
- Tonic-clonic seizures (formerly grand mal seizures): Involve two phases—tonic (muscle stiffness) followed by clonic (rhythmic jerking). Loss of consciousness and postictal confusion often follow.
- Unknown onset seizures: When the beginning of a seizure is unknown or not clear.
- Provoked seizures: Results from specific triggers such as medication, fever, or other temporary conditions. It is not classified as epilepsy but shares similar characteristics.
- Photosensitive epilepsy: Seizures triggered by flashing lights or patterns. Not everyone with epilepsy is photosensitive, but it is more common in certain types.
- Reflex epilepsy: Seizures triggered by specific stimuli or activities, such as reading, writing, or certain sensory experiences.
- Idiopathic generalised epilepsy: Typically begins in childhood or adolescence. The cause is unknown, but there is often a genetic component. Includes syndromes like juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.
- Symptomatic generalised epilepsy: Results from identifiable brain abnormalities. Causes include brain injuries, infections, or developmental issues.
- Progressive myoclonic epilepsy: A rare form characterised by myoclonic seizures and a progressive worsening of symptoms over time.
Understanding the specific type of epilepsy is crucial for developing an accurate treatment plan. Diagnosis often involves a combination of medical history, physical examinations, EEG (electroencephalogram) tests, and imaging studies.
