Epilepsy is recurrent discharge or short circuiting of the
micro electrical current within a localised part of the brain resulting in
symptoms focal to that area in the cortex. If this stops here, then the subject
does not become unconscious.
If however it spreads to the rest of the brain, the subject
loses consciousness with the associated tongue biting, tonic clonic movements
in most, loss of bladder control and subsequent wetting of oneself. The
seizures could start generalised or even be sub cortical as paroxysmal
dyskinesia. Epilepsy to any parent is life shattering scene to witness
happening to your child. Your start asking yourself what you could have done to
deserve this and forget it’s your child who is sick and need your support, not
you.
Of these the pyrexial seizures which account for most
childhood episodes will be outgrown. We just have to make sure as doctors that they
don’t cause a pathology which was non existent as a primary problem. Seizures
which are going to persist into adulthood may be associated with mental
retardation and features completing the
full syndrome. Pyrexial seizures are no different to epilepsy but are instead
caused by high temperature affecting the less than five year old immature brain.
Once the myelin is properly formed then the brain gets resistant to temperature
rise complicating with seizures. The rest of secondary seizures, which will be
picked up the doctor on examination, will be left out of this paper as they
account for a low percentage and needs each specific disease eg tuberous
sclerosis discussed separately.
In most cases you did nothing that could have caused the
epilepsy as we screen you for infections that could have caused the vertical
transmission, including the advice about alcohol and drugs. We treat those that
we find before they hopefully transmit to the baby. We threaten those abusing
alcohol or drugs with immediate imprisonment. The likelihood therefore that it
could be you is minimal.
If biochemistry and physiology of health are the elements of every mix, then results are assured
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