How Much Do You Know About Epilepsy? Quiz

Answer: Total brain seizure

Simple partial seizures can differ in symptoms. Some of the symptoms can involve motor skills and cause jerking of muscles. They can also cause olfactory or auditory hallucinations, changes in heart rate or breathing, and change how a person senses things in the environment. The symptoms of a complex partial seizure are often not very noticeable at first. They can cause the person to seem like they are daydreaming or being inattentive. Sometimes the person who suffers this type of seizure will not even be aware it has happened. Absence seizures (also sometimes called petit mal seizures) make the person appear to be staring off into space like they "aren't there". They usually last only 10 to 20 seconds.

This information comes from http://www.epilepsy.com/EPILEPSY/Types_seizures

Answer: Psychiatric illness

Although people with psychiatric illnesses can suffer from seizures, they are not in and of themselves a cause of epilepsy. Head injuries can cause brain damage which can lead to seizure disorders. Some people develop epilepsy for unknown reasons (this is known as idiopathic epilepsy). Prenatal injuries affect a fetus and can be caused by lack of proper nutrition for the mother, smoking by the mother or infections.

See http://ehealthmd.com/library/epilepsy/EPI_causes.html for more information on causes of epilepsy.

Answer: All of these have been associated with epilepsy.

At different times in history, all of these things were considered to be true. Fortunately, modern sciences has dispelled these myths.

See http://www.epilepsy.com/EPILEPSY/HISTORY for more information on the history of epilepsy.

Answer: EEG

EEG stands for electroencephalogram and is used to measure electrical activity in the brain. A person with epilepsy will typically have an abnormal EEG. A CBC (complete blood count) is used to measure the amount of red and white blood cells in a person's blood among other things. MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) is used to show a clear picture of a body part. MRIs of the brain can be used in diagnosing epilepsy, but don't measure electrical impulses. A CAT (Computerized Axial Tomography) scan uses a computer and multiple X-Rays to give a 3D image of a body part.

Information on CBC: See http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003642.htm
Also see: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003642.htm for information on tests to diagnose epilepsy.

Answer: Psychiatric counseling

Although psychiatric counseling can be helpful to people who struggle with a diagnosis of epilepsy, it is not used to treat seizures. There are many different types of anti-seizure drugs and new ones are being developed on a regular basis. Certain types of drugs have been shown to work better for different kinds of epilepsy. Vagus nerve stimulation is used to send electrical impulses to the brain from a device that is surgically implanted in the chest. It is thought to disrupt seizure activity. The ketogenic diet is very high in fat and protein, and is low in carbohydrates and makes the body burn fat for energy instead of carbohydrates. It has been shown in studies to be helpful for children with epilepsy.

For more information, see http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Medical/treatment/
For specific information on the ketogenic diet, see: http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Medical/treatment/diet/

Answer: Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy

Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy is a fairly common form of epilepsy and can cause both tonic-clonic seizures and absence seizures. Febrile seizures are associated with fevers and can affect people of all ages, although they are more common in very young children. Temporal lobe epilepsy is one of the most common forms of epilepsy, and accounts for approximately 60% of epilepsy patients. It can strike people of all ages, and it is common for someone with with this kind of epilepsy to have a history of having at least one seizure earlier in their life (i.e. from a head injury or a fever). Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome is a type of epilepsy that appears in early childhood and is sometimes associated with other disorders such as developmental delays.

See http://www.epilepsy.com/EPILEPSY/EPILEPSY_JUVENILEMYOCLONIC for more information on this particular type of epilepsy.
Also see: http://my.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/types_epilepsy for information on the different types of epilepsy.

Answer: Move any objects that could injure the person out of the way.

Moving objects out of the way is the most important thing to do for a person who is experiencing a seizure. If the person has a history of epilepsy, it is not necessary to call emergency services right away. You only need to do this if the seizure continues for longer than five minutes. You should never put an object in the person's mouth. This can lead to injuries to the person or yourself. Likewise, you should never hold a person who is having a seizure down, because this can also lead to injury of yourself or the person having the seizure.

See http://my.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/firstaid for more information.

Answer: The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates

Amazingly, the ancient Greek doctor Hippocrates recognized epilepsy as a brain disorder when most of his peers considered it to be supernatural in origin. Heinrich Kramer actually contributed to a 15th century "witch-hunting manual" called Malleus Malificarum and in all likelihood contributed to the deaths of many innocent people with epilepsy. Sir Richard Williams was an early pioneer in the treatment of epilepsy, but was not the first to recognize it as a brain disorder. Sigmund Freud was aware of epilepsy, but was also not the first to recognize it as a brain disorder.

A brief but educational page on the history of epilepsy can be found here: http://www.epilepsy.com/EPILEPSY/HISTORY

An interesting treatise written by Sigmund Freud about the Russian author Dostoevsky' epilepsy diagnosis can be found here: http://www.utoronto.ca/tsq/DS/09/107.shtml

Answer: A person who is diagnosed with epilepsy going swimming

A person with epilepsy can enjoy swimming safely, although precautions should be taken. Although following a medication regimen carefully can help to prevent SUDEP, sadly sometimes seizures cannot be well controlled and there is nothing that can be done to prevent it.

Please see http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1187111-overview for more information.

Answer: Status epilepticus

Status epilepticus is a condition where the sufferer has a continuous seizure for 30 minutes or longer. This is always considered a medical emergency because it can result in death. Having two or more seizures in a 24 hour period is not unusual for people with epilepsy that is not well controlled. Although it is something that the patient should address with the doctor, it is not a medical emergency. Although a tonic-clonic seizure can be frightening for both the patient and the person who witnesses it, it is not always considered to be a medical emergency. It depends on the circumstances. Memory loss can be a distressing symptom of epilepsy, or more commonly a side effect of certain anti-seizure medications, and should be discussed with a doctor, but are not a medical emergency.

See http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/types/types/statusepilepticus.cfm for more information on status epilepticus