World epilepsy

day

17/11/2010
• Epilepsy (from the Ancient
Greek epilēpsía — "to seize") is
a common chronic neurological
disorder.

It is one of the oldest condition

known to mankind.
• Epilepsy is simply defined as a
condition in which the patient is prone
to get seizure or fits.

• Anyone having two or more

unprovoked fits or seizures can said to
have epilepsy

• May vary from mild twitching to loss of

consciousness and uncontrollable
convulsions.
 Prevalence

• 50 million people world wide have

epilepsy
• Prevalence is roughly 1% in
developing countries and 0.5 % in
developed countries
• Roughly 10 million people in India
are suffering from epilepsy

• 20 to 50 new cases per year

100,000 persons
Causes in children
Cerebral
palsy

Infection

heredity

Metabolic
disease
Head
trauma
 Causes in adults
Head injury

Infection

Alcohol

drugs
What can be the causes
in elderly

Stroke

Brain
tumors
 Classification
• Partial seizure or Focal seizures
Simple partial seizure
• No impairment of consciousness
• Unintelligible talk
• Experience of unusual or
unpleasant sounds, sight, odors,
taste Shaking of fingers and hand
• Uncontrollable mouth jerking
• Dizzy
 Complex partial seizures
• Begins in specialized area and
progress to wards both halves
• Automatism
• Hallucination and illusions
• Impairment of consciousness
• Excessive emotions
• Also called as temporal lobe
seizures or psychomotor seizures
 Generalized seizures
• Involvement of both hemispheres
• Common in young children
Types:
1. Tonic – Clonic
2. Tonic seizures
3. Clonic seizures
4. Absence seizure
( Petitmal)
5. Atonic seizures
6. Myoclonic seizures
 GENERALIZED SEIZURES
 AURA PHASE
• Aura (warning sign)
 SUDDEN LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
 TONIC PHASE (30 TO 60 SEC)
• Muscular rigidity
• Simultaneous contraction of
diaphragm and chest muscles
• Cyanosis
• Fixed jaws, Tongue bite, wide
open eyes
• Pupils dilated and fixed
 CLONIC PHASE (1 to 3 min)

• Contractions and relaxation of

body
• Incontinence
• Frothing
 Post ictal phase
• Sleep
• General fatigue
• Depression
• Confusion
• Headache
• Complete amnesia of the
episode
 Diagnosis

History SPECT
taking

MRI
Physical
examination

Biochemical and EEG

hematologic
studies
Emergency management
Do's Don'ts
1.Do not insert spoon or
1.Keep calm.
any such articles into the
2.Loosen tight
mouth.
clothes around
2.Do not restrict
his/her neck - tie,
convulsive movements
tight collar, remove
as it may cause fracture.
the spectacles.
3.Do not crowd around
3.Prevent the patient
the patient.
from injuring himself.
4.Do not give water or
4.After the seizures
any other liquid till he is
stops, turn the
fully conscious.
patient to a side and
wipe the froth from
his mouth.
TREATMENT
70% = well controlled with
drugs (prolonged remissions)
30% epilepsy at least partially
resistant to drug treatments =
INTRACTABLE EPILEPSY
Pharmacological management

• Dilatin
• Phenobarbitol
• Tegretol
• Valium
Surgical management

Temporal lobectomy

Hemipheactomy
 Nursing management

During seizures
• Prevent injury
• Clear the space
• Turn the patient
• Loosen cloths
• Monitor
• Equipments by side (for delivering oxygen and
suctioning)
After seizures

• Assessment
• Orient
• Oxygen and suction
 Regular drug use
 Advice to wear medical alert bracelet
 Regular meals and snacks
 Avoidance of alcohol
 Rest and sleep
 Non drugs techniques like relaxation
therapy
 Myths and facts
Myths Facts
• Epilepsy is due to evil • Disease of the brain
spirits • Epilepsy is not
• Epilepsy is contagious contagious
• Believed to be • None of these non
terminated by putting medical measures are
the key in patients hand of any use.
or by making him smell
onion or a dirty shoe
• Epilepsy is a mental
• Disease of brain
illness
• Likely to remit by
• Epilepsy is a life long
regular treatment
disorder
 Epilepsy is what u have, not what u are

You are not an epileptic, you are a person with

epilepsy

Epilepsy is part of your life, not whole life