WHAT IS THE EPILEPSY AND HOW is DECLARED?

The epilepsy are a group of illnesses with many faces, many times badly understood.  Is not a rare illness, since around the 1% of the world population suffers some form of epilepsy, and of them the 10% they have several crisis in a month.  We speak of seizure when a disorderly discharge of the cells of the brain occurs., When these have a definite origin we speak of “focal crisis” that will have different modalities of presentation depending on the locating of the discharge.  When its origin is very extensive al same time is a matter of “crisis generalized”.  A crisis can be originated in a point of the brain and of there be diffused al remainder of the same one, and then him is called focal or partial crisis secondarily generalized.  When the crisis they are repeated several times, the diagnosis of epilepsy is done.  It is important to maintain in mind that not all the epilepsy are declared with abnormal movements, depending on the place of the brain of the one that be originated, the patients can have strange sensations, to listen, to see or to smell something determined or in the children is frequent that have as blank periods, where the boy is disconnected briefly of the middle, but at times he can be so frequent in a day that Absences).

Some epilepsy appear only in determined age, other they accompany by other neurological problems, other they are produced only set against an I stimulate defined, like discharges of light; other more are hereditary, or problems in other cerebral functions accompany by themselves or in other organs.  When thus it happens is spoken of “epileptic syndromes”.

Not all the epilepsy have the same forecast, that is to say there will be some that are controlled very easily with an antiepiléptico specific, other that only they appear in the infancy and past this they be not repeated again, but there are some epileptic syndromes, that associate to progressive neurological problems, that damage the development of the children and at times of the adolescents, and they are of very difficult control.

WHY THE EPILEPSY OCCURS?

It is very important to try to know in the possible thing the cause of the epilepsy.  When finally we can show it, we call “secondary epilepsy”, for example if themselves due to a cerebral tumor or to a scar by damage al birth; other times only we can sense their origin as happens in the hereditary epilepsy, and in other occasions in spite of all our efforts we fail to identify the motive that they occur (primary epilepsy).  Depending on the age of the patient, the causes of the epilepsy vary in frequency.  In the first years of life, the most frequent one themselves due to problems during the embarrassment, above all in the immediate moments subject to al labor, during the labor and in the first hours that continue to this (perinatal period), the lack of sufficient oxygenation in these moments, infections of the mother, medicines or radiation that have received, can have repercussions in the baby.  The cerebral malformations, that is to say, problems in the formation of the brain during the embarrassment is another cause of epilepsy in the first years of the life.  The blows, the step of the baby by the very difficult birth canal, the use of forceps, etc., can cause also problems.  Some alterations in the metabolism likewise can cause epilepsy and many times if they are not detected to time also they result in the future development.  The infections of the brain, the traumas and the tumors are another cause.  Comply advances the age, returns different the order in which these problems cause the epilepsy; in the largest children and adolescents, the infections, the parasitism in the brain (cisticercosis) and the traumas craneales are done but important.  In the adult the traumas, the abuse of drugs and the tumors, they are more frequent- In the elder the problems vasculares and the tumors.

Conditions exist in which a person can have a crisis without really be epileptic, for example the children between the six months and the five years, they can present crisis when they have fever (feverish crisis).  In other occasions, there can be an unique crisis, when an abrupt drop of sugar is presented, or an intoxication by alcohol.  Here only it should treat the cause that motivated is it it more important.

Some forms of epilepsy have a hereditary factor, like the crisis of absence, and the crisis mioclónicas of the adolescent; other are untied of the inheritance and themselves due to problems acquired as an infection, a parasite or a severe blow.

When a person presents a crisis for the first time, al medical to the brevity should respond, so that this determine the possible cause of this, and act consequently, as well as as be the case administer medicines to avoid that the crisis be repeated.  The doctor will revise al sick, very probably he will order studies, and according to the age, and the characteristics of the crisis, he will carry out studies of image, like the tomografia of skull, or the magnetic resonance.  Almost in all the cases will request a study of electroencephalogram, and if suspects that the cause of the problem be an infection of the nervous system will do studies of the I liquidate cefalorraquídeo.  If a specific cause of the same is identified will be given specific processing for example, if is a tumor that can be operated, will intervene al patient, or if is a matter of a cisticerco I live, processing will be given that destroy it.  According to the case, will be required also of processing antiepil´peitico independently of the cause.

HOW TREATS THE EPILEPSY?

Once the type of crisis is identified that presents the patient and if not specific processing for the cause exists detected or this could not be established because all the studies turned out to be normal, the epilepsy should be treated with medicines that avoid the presentation repeatedly of the crisis.  In agreement al type of crisis is chosen the ideal medicine, is prescribed to the necessary dose in an adequate schedule to maintain constantly the medicine in useful concentrations and continues the monitoring of the sick one, who should have confidence in their doctor, to ask him everything that want to know on its illness, until be satisfied, but at the same time will compromise in continue al foot of the letter the Since in our country the first cause of failure in the control of the epilepsy is that the patient does not comply the orders of the doctor.

Besides taking the medicine will be important to modify some habits: to avoid to be been watchful, not to consume alcoholic beverages; depending on the type and control of the crisis, not to handle neither to do activities of greater danger to the normal, in general terms if the sick one does not have a serious cause of its epilepsy, neither there are neurological alterations associates, the medicine achieves an excellent control of the patient, always and when this carry some good.

.  The team of health well coached, will be the one that in each private case will have to indicate the indications of the management.  The majority of the patients with epilepsy they have normal capacities, and they can be completely productive people, and happy, and there is not motive for stimulate them not to be it.  Some times, nevertheless the epilepsy is only a data of another neurological but serious illness, that hinders the development or some function and to be thus, generally a greater difficulty in the control of the crisis occurs and rehabilitation support need, special education, etc, even thus the fight by achieving the maximum quality of life of the patient should not be forgot, therefore many of these sick of It forms disabled, with an adequate caution and education they can come they be useful to the company.  Approximately of each 100 patients with epilepsy 80 they are controlled very well with the medicines but in the other 20 difficulties exist to control well the crisis or the necessary medicines cause them some problem.  For these patients several options of attention exist specialized as the clinics of private and public epilepsy and the centers of integral attention of the epilepsy located in these instances.

An aspect that restless a lot to the parents and to the patients is what will happen with the future life of the patient, ¿will be able to go to the school, to have a profession, or an independent activity, will be able to have a couple, to form a family?.  The answer is affirmative in most cases.

It IS POSSIBLE TO FORM A FAMILY AND TO HAVE CHILDREN?

There is not motives so that a patient of normal intelligence do not I live in couple, and if is found well controlled, can establish a family.  Always we tell ours patient, that before an embarrassment, is very important to present him al medical this desire, in order to plan it adequate, and that this can offer special cares and at times some medicine in order to offering the better possibilities to the couple, and al new to be.  The I medicate responsible for attending the epilepsy will have to value before the embarrassment if is maintained the same processing or is modified, depending on the control of the crisis before the embarrassment, fits to predict that if the patient has not had crisis in the last two or but years go him very well in the embarrassment, on the other hand if has convulsed to a month or less before the Its situation can get worse in the same one.  The antiepilépticos can have different repercussions in the reproductive health, even thus its the benefit of its use is greater, but the sick one and their family they should be well informed.  Thus for example, an acid called medicine valproico, is very useful and noble in various types of epilepsy of the infancy and the adolescence, but its use during the three first months of the embarrassment can be associated with malformations in the baby that is developing.  The woman with epilepsy that is embarrassed, he requires of the administration of an acid called vitamin fólico, to prevent in the measure of the possible thing the effects on the baby in formation.  He is more dangerous for the baby that the mother present crisis, that the possible effects of the antiepilépticos, but the couple he should be perfectly reported that when the mother suffers epilepsy and requires of medicines antiepilépticos the risk of malformations in the fetus enlarges.  Thus same they should know that when one of the parents is an epileptic, depending on the type of epilepsy, the risk of having epilepsy is greater.  In spite of all this, in studies carried out in our country, when the couple responds al medical early, the mother has received attention medicates opportune and efficient and continues al foot of the letter the indications of its doctor that controls the epilepsy, as well as those of the gineco-obstetrician that watches the embarrassment, the index of success is very high, culminating with the birth of a healthy boy.

It is very sad to discover that the sick prefer to resort to “remedies”, leaving its medical processing, perhaps because they have not found in its doctor the availability, or the confidence to establish a good relation, for which to include a doctor with the one that itself order an excellent relation is fundamental.  When the sick one leaves their medicines, abandons the medical supervision, is able descontrolarse, having many crisis, losing the conscience among them, and presented a problem that is known like been of badly epileptic, that deserves immediate attention in a hospital, inclusive in the intensive therapy and that still in the better hands, causes the death in many sick, that on the other hand they would not have because to have presented if they had followed the instructions Of their doctor.

WHAT TO DO SO THAT THE PERSON WITH EPILEPSY CARRY A NORMAL LIFE?

Through the history, al patient that suffers of epilepsy several unnecessary restrictions they have imposed him themselves, him has been marked and segregated of the company, due to that around the epilepsy many myths they exist and prejudices.  .  It is our interest the one that the members of the company, of the school, of the family, and from the the place of work, as well as the patients, they understand this problem, understanding that in the great majority of the cases, the I attach to the recommendations of the doctor, some simple changes in the habits, and the discipline, they achieve a total control and a full life,.

The fight to achieve that full life is task of all the community, through the information, the education, the communication and the confidence with the personnel of health for which the joint interest to carry out efforts of many neurologists has arisen and other professionals, as well as people interested in the problem, by “to remove to the epilepsy of the shadows”, integrated in a campaign world call thus, whose purpose It is exactly to demythologize it, to improve the attitude of the company toward the person with epilepsy with the purpose to permit and to favor the full development of the person that suffers it and its complete integration to the company.