Epilepsy

EPILEPSY EPILEPSY, A CHRONIC BRAIN DISORDER THAT BREIFLY INTERRUPTS THE NORMAL ELECTRECAL ACVTIVITY OF THE BRAIN AND THEN LEADS TO SEIZURES. SEIZURES ARE CHARACTERIZED BY MANY DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS INCLUDING, UNCONTROLLED MOVEMENTS OF THE BODY, DISORENTATION OR CONFUSION, SUDDEN FEAR, OR LOSS OF CONCIOUSNESS. EPILEPSY MAY RESULT FORM A HEAD INJURY, STROKE, BRAIN TURMOR, LEAD POISOING, GENETIC CONDITIONS, OR SEVERE INFECTIONS LIKE MENINGITIS.IN OVER 70% OF CASES NO CAUSE FOR EPILEPSY IS IDENTIFIED. ABOUT 1% OF THE …

…UNLESS TREATED PROMPTLY WITH THE DRUG DIAZEPAM. IN PERSONS SUFFERING FORM EPILEPSY, THE BRAIN WAVES, ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY OF THE BRAIN CALLED CEREBRAL CORTEX, HAVE A CHARACTERISTICALLY ABNORMAL RHYTHEM PRODUCED BY EXCESSIVE ELECTRICAL DISCHARGES IN THE NERVE CELLS. BECAUSE THESE WAVE PATTERNS DIFFER MARKEDLY ACCORDING TO THEIR SPECIFIC SOURCE, A RECORDING OF BRAIN WAVES, KNOWN AS AN ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM (EEG) IS IMPORTANT IN THE DIAGNOSIS. DIAGNOSIS ALSO REQUIRES A THROUGH MEDICAL HISTORY DESCRIBING SEIZURE CHARACTERISTICS AND FREQUENCY.