International Epilepsy Day is being marked on Monday across the world for an opportunity to raise awareness of epilepsy, what it is, how it can be treated, and what is needed to bring treatment to all people who need it. Epilepsy is a mental disease marked by recurrent, unprovoked seizures.
As proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) in 2005, epilepsy is defined as a brain disorder characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures and by the neurobiological, cognitive, psychological, and social consequences of this condition.
According to World Health Organization (WHO), around 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally.
Shifa International Hospital vows to emphasise epilepsy awareness, prevalence, treatment and its prevention.
Dr Maimoona Siddiqui, HOD & Consultant Neurologist at Shifa International Hospital (SIH) said that, traditionally, the diagnosis of epilepsy requires the occurrence of at least 2 unprovoked seizures. The first seizure should not be treated unless there is any clinical findings explained on diagnostic tests, including MRI, EEG or any abnormal focal neurological findings or in case of family history.
The lifetime likelihood of experiencing at least 1 epileptic seizure is about 9 percent, and the lifetime likelihood of receiving a diagnosis of epilepsy is almost 3 percent. According to a study, overall prevalence of epilepsy in Pakistan is estimated to be 9.99 per 1000 population, which is more or less similar to Global Prevalence (5-10 cases per 1000). It is estimated that up to 70 percent of people living with epilepsy could live seizure-free if properly diagnosed and treated.
As per the recommendations of Epilepsy Foundation, Dr Maimoona advised about precautionary steps that should be taken to avoid epilepsy related accidents. These include replacing glass with plastic, use caution with hot fluid, take shower instead of bath, install a rubber mat or nonskid strips on the tub or shower floor, pad hard edges of tables and furniture, cook with partner, consider using a seizure alert monitor or sharing a room.
According to Dr Azhar Saeed, Consultant Neurologist (SIH), although the mainstay of treatment for individuals with epilepsy is pharmacological, non-drug treatments such as psychological interventions, the Ketogenic Diet (KD) and Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) are also used.-PR
Comments
Comments are closed.