Epilepsy Research Paper -- Papers Disorder Health Essays

Epilepsy Research Paper People most often associate violent twitching, falling to the floor and drooling with epilepsy. However the described event is only one kind of an epileptic seizure, which is called a tonic-clonic seizure. There are many other kinds of seizures, and each has different sets of signs and symptoms. During generalized seizures the whole brain is affected and the initial symptom is loss of consciousness. This category includes such seizures as absence seizure, myoclonic seizure, and atonic attack. Those seizures affect the whole body and brain of the patient, and are much more serious than partial or focal seizure, which only affects one muscle or one part of the body, and not accompanied by loss of consciousness. Epilepsy occurs when nerve cells in the brain fire electrical impulses at a rate of up to four times higher than normal. This causes a sort of electrical storm in the brain, known as a seizure. During a seizure the normal neuronal activity, which is usually responsible for human thoughts, feelings, and actions of glands and muscles, becomes disturbed and as a result strange behavior, convulsions and loss of consciousness might occur. Epilepsy knows no geographical, racial or social boundaries. It occurs in men and women and can begin at any age, but is most frequently diagnosed in childhood or old age. Anyone can be affected by seizures. In fact, up to 5% of the world's population may have a single seizure at some time in their lives, but a person might be diagnosed with epilepsy only after they had two unprovoked seizures. From many studies around the world it has been estimated that the m... ...mpted to move, chair should be put in supine position, everything should be out of the way and passive restraint should be used to prevent patient from hitting anything or falling out of the chair. Emergency assistance should be summoned right away. Epilepsy is not contagious and is not caused by mental illness or mental retardation. Many people with epilepsy have normal or above-average intelligence. Famous people who are known or rumored to have had epilepsy include the Russian writer Dostoyevsky, the philosopher Socrates, the military general Napoleon, and the inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, who established the Nobel prize. Many people with epilepsy lead productive lives. Many medical and research advances in the past two decades have led to a better understanding of epilepsy and seizures than ever before.