Signs and Symptoms of Epilepsy

Signs and Symptoms of Epilepsy

The epilepsy is actually the occurrence of the transient paroxysms of excessive or uncontrolled discharges of neuron, which may be caused by a different number of etiologies leading to epileptic seizures, though epilepsy and seizure is different but this disease in known as epileptic seizure. Epilepsy is the outcome of a group of neurological disease. This disease may affect any men or women irrespective of their age and it has no geographical, social or racial restriction though it is seen that most persons get affected by this disease in their childhood, infancy, adolescence and old age. Almost there are 50 million people present in the world having epilepsy.  This disease is seen as 5 times more in the developing countries than the developed countries. 

There are many causes which are responsible for this disease but in 78% cases no proper cause found for the outcome of this disease. The most common causes for the outcome of this disease is inherited genetic, withdrawal of some drugs like alcohol, benzodiazepine, barbiturates & other anti-epileptics. Some acquired factors which are also responsible for this disease is trauma, neurosurgery, inflammatory, metabolic infections, tumour, toxic disorders, drugs etc. This disease can be diagnosed by history taking, physical examination, laboratory tests, imaging (EEG, CT scan, and MRI of brain) and polysomnography.

As epilepsy is a neurological disease the symptoms of this disease are easily visible by the behaviour of the affected person. Though there are different types of symptoms for the epilepsy according to the seizures, here we are going to discuss the most common symptoms which are usually found in the body of the person who is affected by the epilepsy:

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    Some abnormal feelings like tingling, numbness and electric shock like may be felt by the affected person. The feeling of such symptoms may be mild to severe which varies from person to person.

 

• ·         The skin colour of the person affected by this disease is significantly changed which may also be followed by pupil size as well as piloerection.
• ·         A severe change in the blood pressure and the heart rate may also be seen as the bad effect of this disease in the later stage. This phenomenon can only be controlled proper medication.
• ·         Flashing light and colours as well as simple hallucinations are also reported as common symptoms experienced by many patients suffering from this disease.
• ·         Fear, depression, anger, irritability, elation, erotic thoughts, illusion of size, structured hallucination is also the usually observed symptoms for this disease.
• ·          Stiff, crying out, apnoea, tongue bite, cyanosed, increased heart rate, salivation, laboured breathing are also seen in the patient during generalized seizures.
• ·         Brief loss of muscle tone which is followed by heavy with or without of consciousness may be seen if the person is affected by atonic seizures during epilepsy.
• ·         Abrupt, very brief, involuntary flexion movement may be found either in the whole body or any specific part of the body. The duration of this feeling may vary from person to person also according to the severe of the seizure.