Epilepsy is a chronic noncommunicable disease of the brain that affects people of all ages, with an estimated 50 million people worldwide having the condition.
According to the World Health Organisation description, the disease is characterized by recurrent seizures, which are brief episodes of involuntary movement that may involve a part of the body or the entire body.
It is sometimes accompanied by loss of consciousness and control of bowel or bladder function.
Despite being one of the most common neurological diseases, seven in every 10 people with epilepsy do not get the treatment they need.
The WHO warns that the risk of premature death in people with epilepsy is up to three times higher than for the general population.
“People with epilepsy and their families suffer from stigma and discrimination and can impact the quality of life for people with the disease and their families,” WHO says.
However, up to 70 percent of people living with epilepsy could live seizure-free if properly diagnosed and treated.
“Characteristics of seizures vary and depend on where in the brain the disturbance first starts, and how far it spreads."
“Temporary symptoms occur, such as loss of awareness or consciousness, and disturbances of movement, sensation including vision, hearing and taste, mood, or other cognitive functions,” WHO states.
Causes have been attributed to factors such as a severe head injury, genetic conditions, brain damage, brain tumour, stroke that restricts the amount of oxygen to the brain, or an infection of the brain such as meningitis.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that for people undergoing tonic-clonic seizures, there are a set of procedures to follow when attending to them.
This is a type of seizure where the person may cry out, fall, shake or jerk and become unaware of what’s going on around them.
According to CDC, you are advised to do the following things to help someone who is having this type of seizure:
- Ease the person to the floor
- Turn the person gently onto one side. This will help the person breathe
- Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp. This can prevent injury
- Put something soft and flat, like a folded jacket, under his or her head
- Remove eyeglasses
- Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make it hard to breathe
- Time the seizure. Call for medical emergency if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.
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