Can epilepsy be treated permanently?

Unfortunately, epilepsy is a nervous system disease that affects people of any age, and it often spreads among children or among people over the age of sixty, which makes us need to treat epilepsy permanently.

The question now: Is it possible? Treatment of psychological epilepsy Permanently?

What is epilepsy?

Before identifying a definitive treatment for epilepsy, what is meant by epilepsy is the presence of a defect in the transfer of chemical substances (neurons) between nerve cells in the brain, as a result of a defect in the central nervous system.

During epileptic seizures, the electrical activity in the brain increases, which leads to the person suffering from convulsions and strange behaviors, and may even lead to loss of consciousness, which makes us think about treating epilepsy permanently.

Epileptic seizures require special care from the people around the patient to avoid any risks, and this is what we will discuss in light of today’s article.

يمكنك قراءة : Epilepsy and its impact on physical and mental development in children and adults

Causes of epileptic seizures

Epileptic seizures occur as a result of sudden hyperactivity of electrical signals in the brain. Generally, there is no direct cause that causes a person to suffer from epilepsy, but there are some risk factors that affect the way the brain and nerves work, the most important of which is the genetic factor.

In addition to the above, here are some risk factors that increase the chances of developing epilepsy and require permanent treatment for epilepsy, including:

• اFor strokes.
• Younger age, the incidence of epilepsy in children increases, although there are chances of developing epilepsy at any age.
• Dementia: We find that epileptic seizures are widespread among the elderly.
• Brain tumors.
• Severe head injuries.
• Taking drugs or drinking alcohol.
• Brain infection.
• Lack of oxygen during childbirth.

Now we are trying to answer important questions: Can epilepsy be treated permanently?

Pre-epileptic symptoms

Fortunately, there are some warning signs that a patient may appear before he experiences an epileptic seizure, including:

• Direct gaze (fixing the direction of gaze).
• Involuntary tremors in the arms or legs.
• Loss of awareness and inability to respond to people or surrounding sounds.
• Feeling difficult to breathe.
• Difficulty speaking.
• Psychological disorders such as feelings of fear, sadness, and anxiety.
• Déjà vu, a state in which a person feels as if current events have occurred in his life before.

Epilepsy symptoms (symptoms of epileptic seizures)

In the previous paragraph, we talked about the symptoms that precede an epileptic seizure. What are the symptoms of the seizure itself?

Repeated epileptic seizures affect patients in multiple ways depending on the affected part of the brain and the amount of electrical activity in it. In general, the main symptom of epileptic seizures is body shaking or convulsions that last for a few minutes.

It is worth noting that symptoms vary depending on the type of epileptic seizure. Epileptic seizures are classified into more than one type and the final treatment for epilepsy depends on the type.

Types of epilepsy

Before we talk about whether or not epilepsy can be permanently treated for adults and children, we must first learn about the types of epilepsy on the basis of which doctors determine the type of drug treatments.

The types of epileptic seizures are divided into two basic types:

First: Generalized seizures

They are seizures that arise as a result of the spread of abnormal electrical impulses throughout all parts of the brain, so they are called generalized epilepsy or generalized epileptic seizures.

Generalized epilepsy is divided into six types: (Note: Do not be surprised by the names of epileptic seizures, as they are translated medical terms).

1- Tonic-clonic seizure or grand mal epileptic seizure.

It is a seizure that is widespread in approximately 10% among all people with epilepsy and requires permanent treatment for epilepsy. In addition, it has a strong impact on the patient, as it may lead to the appearance of the following symptoms:

• Losing balance and falling to the ground.
• Muscle cramps.
• Loss of consciousness.

A tonic-clonic seizure occurs in two stages, as follows:

• The first stage: the stress stage, in which the patient loses consciousness, his body becomes stiff, and he may fall to the ground.
• The second stage: The stage of shaking and spasm, during which the patient’s limbs shake, he loses control of his bladder and intestines, and he may face difficulty breathing, and it is possible for the patient to bite his tongue or cheek from the inside, which requires permanent treatment for epilepsy.

A grand mal seizure often lasts a few minutes, and after it ends, the patient will feel headache, fatigue, and some confusion, and may have difficulty remembering what happened to him during the seizure.

2- Tonic seizure

This type of seizure is uncommon, and is characterized by the absence of convulsions, and its symptoms are limited to loss of balance and falling.

3- Clonic seizure

Tonic epileptic seizures cause tremors in the body, as is the case with a tonic-clonic seizure, and the patient does not go through a stage of body stiffness at first. The patient may also lose consciousness for a few minutes and then feel confused and disoriented after waking up, so the patient feels that he needs treatment for epilepsy permanently.

4- Myoclonic seizure

This seizure causes a sudden tremor in part or all of the body, almost like an electric shock, and often affects patients shortly after waking up from sleep.

This seizure often lasts for no more than a fraction of a second, and in addition to not causing loss of consciousness, it occurs to patients while they are awake.

5- Petit mal epileptic seizure (accompanied by unconsciousness)

It is a seizure in which the patient loses awareness of what is going on around him for a short period. It is often widespread among children, although it occurs at any age.

Symptoms of a petit mal seizure include:

• Eye flutter.
• التحديق.
• Seeing daydreams.

These attacks usually last 15 seconds, and may occur more than once throughout the day.

6- Atonic seizure

As the name suggests, these seizures cause sudden relaxation of all the muscles in the body, causing the patient to fall to the ground.

This type of seizure usually lasts for a short time, and the patient is soon able to get up.

Second: Partial seizures

One of the epileptic seizures that arises from the spread of abnormal electrical impulses in a local part of the brain, so it is called partial or focal.

Partial epileptic seizures are divided into two types:

• Partial epileptic seizures with retention of consciousness.
• Partial epileptic seizures with partial loss of consciousness.

The best medicine to treat epilepsy

There are many medications available to treat epilepsy, because there are many different types of seizures and symptoms. Epilepsy treatment depends on the interaction of medications with nerve cells in the brain in order to reduce their activity and thus reduce the severity of seizures. Choosing the best medication depends on the following: 

• Patient's age. 
• The patient's health condition and drug interactions for other diseases. 
• The patient's lifestyle. 
• The type of epileptic seizure the patient is experiencing. 
• Number of recurrence of seizures. 
• In case of pregnancy or breastfeeding women. 
• The extent of response to the drug and the appearance of side effects by the patient. 

The most important list of the various common epilepsy medications includes the following:

• Carbamazepine, it is used in tonic seizures, convulsions, and partial seizures. 
• Brivaracetam, used with other medications to treat partial seizures in patients over 16 years of age.
• Cannabidiol is prescribed in cases of severe seizures that are difficult to treat.
• Phenobarbitol, although it is one of the oldest epilepsy drugs, is still used to this day to treat most types of seizures.

Epilepsy risk factors

In addition to the main causes of epilepsy, there are some factors that increase the risk of developing it, which are as follows:

• Age, as epilepsy is common in children and the elderly. 
• Family history of the disease, which makes a person more susceptible to epilepsy than others.
• Having dementia in the elderly increases the chances of developing epilepsy. 
• Exposure to stroke and some vascular diseases that cause damage to nerve cells in the brain. 
• Head accidents and injuries, resulting from car accidents or falls, leading to damage to parts of the brain. 
• Brain infection that causes inflammation of the brain or marrow cells, such as meningitis infection. 
• Brain tumors, which cause disturbances in electrical activity in the brain. 
• Growth problems for children as a result of exposure to a lack of oxygen during brain development or suffering from neurological diseases during the growth period. 

Signs of epilepsy

Before moving on to knowing the treatment of epilepsy, we must differentiate between the signs and symptoms of epilepsy and the symptoms of other neurological disorders. Epilepsy is characterized by seizures that differ in form and type, as well as symptoms from one person to another. 

The types of epileptic seizures and their symptoms include the following:

Focal seizures:

 Which begins in a specific part of the brain and may spread to other parts, and its symptoms may be accompanied by impaired consciousness or without loss of consciousness. Symptoms of focal epileptic seizures appear in the form of:

• Feeling fear, anxiety, or sudden happiness, especially in focal seizures, without losing consciousness. 
• Confusion and confusion in thinking. 
• Involuntary movements in some parts of the body, such as shaking of the limbs. 
• Feeling of numbness and tingling. 
• Seeing flashes of light or dots and hearing strange noises. 
• Staring into space and repetitive movements such as hand-wringing and walking in circles appear more frequently in focal seizures, which are accompanied by impaired awareness.

Absence seizures

Known as petit mal seizures, they mainly affect consciousness. Symptoms of absence epilepsy seizures appear in the form of:

• Simple, spontaneous movements such as flapping the eyelids or chewing the lips. 
• Activity stopped suddenly. 
• Staring into space and not responding. 

Generalized tonic convulsive seizures

It affects both hemispheres of the brain and causes complete loss of consciousness. Its symptoms are characterized by the following:

• Violent tremors in the limbs of the body. 
• Muscle stiffness throughout the body. 
• Breathing stopped temporarily as the face turned blue. 
• Loss of bladder and bowel control. 

Hopeless epileptic seizures

In which the person loses consciousness and shows simple automatic and involuntary movements, such as:

• Drooling. 
• Movements such as chewing food. 
• Shake head slowly. 

Complications of epilepsy

Complications of epilepsy are represented by the seriousness of the situation in which an epileptic seizure occurs, especially in cases of seizures in which the patient loses consciousness, which leads to the patient’s life being at risk, for example:

• Injuries resulting from a person falling to loss of consciousness, such as head and bone injuries. 
• Risk of drowning if a seizure begins while bathing or swimming. 
• Risk of car accidents if you have an epileptic seizure while driving. 
• Pregnancy complications, as epileptic seizures during pregnancy may lead to the death of the fetus or affect its health. 
• Sleep disorders such as insomnia or excessive sleepiness. 
• Psychological complications such as depression and frustration as a result of constant worry about the occurrence of epileptic seizures at any time. 
• Social complications, such as social phobia, result from the constant fear of having epileptic seizures in front of people. 
• Learning and concentration difficulties for children. 
• Difficulty maintaining stable adult employment. 
• The risk of sudden death without cause, especially when having an epileptic seizure during sleep. 

It is worth noting that adherence to treatment, regular check-ups, and avoidance of triggers, along with the availability of psychological support, lead to the patient adapting to the disease, improving the quality of life, and reducing the risk of complications. 

We at the Neuroscience Center at Al Mousa Specialist Hospital offer you a model of an advanced and contemporary medical center, which contains an elite group of the best neuroscience doctors. The center also contains advanced and modern medical equipment, to provide you with an integrated treatment service.

How to prevent epilepsy

Epilepsy is essentially a neurological disorder. The exact causes of the condition are still unknown and therefore there is no specific way to prevent the condition, but there are some tips that can be followed to reduce and control the risk of epileptic seizures, for example:

• Get enough sleep. 
• Manage stress and learn relaxation techniques. 
• Abstaining from alcohol or narcotic substances. 
• Avoid visual stimuli and stay away from bright lights. 
• Reduce time on television, mobile devices, and computers as much as possible. 
• Follow an integrated and balanced health system. 
• Follow the doctor’s instructions and take prescribed medications regularly. 
• Immediate treatment of head injuries and wounds to reduce the chances of developing epilepsy. 
• Controlling chronic diseases such as diabetes and trying to control blood pressure. 

In the case of people who have risk factors for epilepsy, such as a family history of the disease, regular medical examination for early detection of the disease is a golden key to preventing the disease. 

The difference between psychological and organic epilepsy

Before moving on to talk about the possibility of treating epilepsy permanently, we must clarify that there is what is called “psychological epilepsy,” which is a hysterical condition that afflicts people as a result of their exposure to life problems and psychological and nervous pressures.

In psychogenic epileptic seizures, the patient does not lose control of the bladder and intestines. He also maintains consciousness and does not feel dizzy.

While organic epilepsy - which we talked about in detail today - is the seizures that occur to people due to disturbances in electrical signals in the brain.

When does a patient need to go to the emergency room?

Direct the patient immediately to the nearest hospital in the following cases for permanent treatment of epilepsy:

• When a person experiences an epileptic seizure for the first time.
• If the epileptic seizure lasts more than 5 minutes.
• When the patient does not return to full consciousness within 5 to 10 minutes after the end of the epileptic seizure.
• When epileptic seizures are repeated in a row.
• If the patient suffers from breathing problems.
• When the patient suffers from complications of epileptic seizures, such as wounds, fractures, or burns.

Book your consultation now at مركز العلوم العصبية At Al Mousa Specialist Hospital 

How to diagnose epilepsy

How can we treat epilepsy permanently for adults and children?

• Examination of the patient's movement and behavior (clinical examination).
• Electroencephalography to identify the epileptic focus.
• Performing some imaging, such as an MRI, to check for any tumors or birth defects in the brain that may lead to epilepsy.

Treating epilepsy permanently

The doctor begins the strategy for treating epileptic seizures by using neurological medications that control the electrical activity in the brain, thus reducing the susceptibility to seizures.

When medications fail to treat epileptic seizures, doctors resort to several other treatment methods, including:

• Interventional therapy: by stimulating the vagus nerve with a specialized device that is implanted under the skin. This device helps reduce epileptic seizures by between 20% and 40%.
• Surgical treatment: Doctors resort to it to remove the epileptic focus, or in the event of tumors on the brain or impairment of one of its parts.
• Diet therapy: This is an appropriate method for treating epilepsy in children. The diet used in treatment is called the “keto diet,” which is a system that relies on eating a limited amount of carbohydrates and a large amount of fat.

According to World Health Organization statistics, about 70% of the total number of people with epilepsy respond to treatment of epileptic seizures and treatment of epilepsy permanently.

Can epilepsy be treated permanently in children?

Epilepsy in children can be treated by taking medications or following a specific diet. There are many children who stopped using medications and followed the keto diet after a specific period, and continued their lives without experiencing epileptic seizures or symptoms.

Duration of permanent treatment for epilepsy

The duration of definitive treatment for epilepsy for adults and children may last several years.

The duration of treatment for epilepsy in children often ranges from 2 to 5 years.

Frequently asked questions

Does anger affect epilepsy patients?

Yes, anger and psychological pressure have an impact on the epilepsy patient and also on the epilepsy treatment plan, due to changes in the activity and electricity of the brain, and this impact appears in:

• Increased frequency of epileptic seizures. 
• Increased severity and length of seizures. 
• Difficulty controlling seizures and poor effect of medications. 

What should you not do when you suffer from epilepsy?

To ensure the success of epilepsy treatment and the possibility of controlling the disease, the epilepsy patient must stay away from everything that causes the condition to worsen. Therefore, there are a group of prohibitions that must be avoided, for example:

•  Psychological stress and tension are among the main enemies of neurological diseases.
• Narcotics and alcohol affect the electrical activity of the brain. 
• Stress and lack of sleep. 
• Caffeine intake. 
• التدخين. 
• Negligence in taking prescribed medications. 
• Unhealthy food saturated with harmful fats and sugars. 
• Bright lights and sensory stimuli. 

Finally: First aid for an epilepsy patient

Doctors at the Neurology Center at Al Mousa Specialist Hospital advise placing the epilepsy patient in a safe place while he is having a seizure, away from any sharp objects that might expose him to harm. This is in addition to avoiding putting water or food into his mouth. Tight clothing, belts, and neckties should be removed to help the patient breathe efficiently.

Sources and references

Epilepsy – mayoclinic

Epilepsy – nhs