What Causes Epilepsy or an Epileptic Seizure & Can Epilepsy Go Away On Its Own?

A neurological disorder which occurs due to the malfunction of neurons is called as epilepsy. The brain sends messages through nerve cells to different parts of the body and makes the various parts of the body to function. When the clusters of neurons experience an electrical surge and end up sending rapid and abnormal signals, an epileptic seizure occurs.

An epileptic seizure may result in several dysfunctions like:

• Convulsions
• Involuntary movements
• Muscular misbalance
• Behavioural changes
• Emotional distress.

All of the above dysfunctions occur depending on which part of the brain is affected or if the full brain is affected. The symptoms of epilepsy are so wide in spectrum that certain doctors refer epilepsy as ‘the epilepsies’. In US, over 3 million people are affected by this disorder with varied; unique symptoms are confirmed by The Epilepsy Foundation.

Symptoms for epilepsy may vary from person to person and depends on the frequency with which the seizures are occurring. It is often seen that children who suffer from epilepsy have undergone about 100 seizures which in turn affect the mental health. It can be easily concluded that more the number of seizures, more severe the mental effects are. There are several causes due to which an epileptic seizure may occur. Some of the causes which affect the brain and results in epilepsy include brain injuries, brain infection, strokes and genetic disorder. It is also registered that for half of the epileptic patients, the case is idiopathic, that is, there is no cause found.

There have been no confirmed instances for seizures to go away on it’s own. It is not very common for an epileptic person to lead a normal life suddenly. Situations such as a person who experienced multiple seizures during his or her childhood are not troubled by epileptic seizure attacks anymore after growing up. Such a circumstance can be noted both as good and bad. Unless you know the cause behind your attacks of epilepsy, it can be dangerous and epilepsy can attack back anytime.

Previously it was not easy to control epilepsy and even after trying several medications, the seizure continues to occur. In recent times several advanced medical technologies are discovered which can control the electric current within the brain and in this way stop a seizure from occurring. Treatments like responsive neurostimulation has been promising, delivering positive results for people troubled with epilepsy when the medications have failed to perform. Actions like driving, swimming in a pool or soaking in a tub should ideally be done under supervision. Several lifestyle changes may prevent great damage for the patient suffering from epilepsy.

There are various ways of diagnosing epilepsy. The ways include:

• Low blood sugar can lead to epilepsy. A blood test will confirm if the person suffering from epilepsy has inherited from his or her genetic origin or if the seizure occurred due to low blood sugar.
• The electroencephalogram or an EEG measures the electrical activity within the brain by placing small electrodes, circular in shape on the scalp of the brain. The readings on the EEG report may confirm any kind of electrical surge and possible chance of epilepsy.
• Any kind of physical abnormality or brain tumor can be diagnosed while performing a MRI. The magnetic resonance imaging scan reports could diagnose the reason for epilepsy.
• Epilepsy often results in causing mental and behavioural change. In order to find out how the person thinks and behaves and why does he or she do so, one can perform a behavioural or neurological testing. The condition for epilepsy will also be diagnosed henceforth.

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Also Read:

• Frontal Lobe Seizures or Epilepsy: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Recovery, Prevention
• Is Epilepsy A Progressive Disease?
• Do You Grow Out Of Epilepsy?
• What are The Symptoms of Temporal Lobe Epilepsy?
• What Causes Epilepsy or an Epileptic Seizure & Can Epilepsy Go Away On Its Own?
• Surgical Options For Epilepsy & Its Risks
• What Causes Uncontrolled Laughter In Epilepsy?