EPILEPSY DISEASE

HELLO readers,

SITTING outside by the lawn with visitors chatting about various topics including watching a fight of the “garden man” vs the “chola boy” over the bucket which was cleaned by one, and the other used it without cleaning it, leaving his dirty mop inside (effort = zero right, lol). One of the topics that emerged in our conversations touched my heart.

The story was basically that this person witnessed a terrible fatal accident which involved a lady who was driving with her son in the backseat.

This lady all of a sudden lost control of her vehicle with other cars avoiding her and went to hit into trees that were by the road side. She found herself stuck in between trees with the car badly damaged due to the forceful impact.

The little boy was hurt with minor injuries but she was badly injured. We paused, and wondered, what could have caused this? Yet, we continued to listen. This person became a witness at the scene and thereafter was involved in the entire scenario.

Long story cut short, whilst at the hospital, the doctors recognised the lady and understood exactly what could have happened in the moment.

She apparently had a seizure and it was not her first time. She was not supposed to be driving at all due to her condition. She was found to have epilepsy a while back and seizures were a common thing to her.

Epilepsy is a Public Health problem that is common, challenging, and complex for individuals to manage. A brain condition that results in seizures is referred to as Epilepsy in general.

Due to the multiple causes and many seizure types, Epilepsy comes in several forms that impact people differently. In addition to Epilepsy, some persons may also suffer from other medical conditions or different types of seizures.

These factors significantly influence both the severity of the person’s condition and how it affects his or her life. The way in which a seizure presents itself depends on the type of seizure the person is experiencing.

Some seizures may seem a lot like periods of staring.

Other types of seizures can cause a person to collapse, shake, and become unaware of their surroundings. A person with epilepsy is not contagious and cannot give epilepsy to another person.

Seizures include a variety of signs and symptoms that depend on where in the brain the disturbance first appears and how far it extends. Some temporary symptoms include:

loss of awareness or consciousness

Impairments in movement, mood, or other cognitive processes Changes of sense (including vision, hearing, and taste)

People with epilepsy are more likely to experience bodily problems (such as fractures and bruises from injuries brought on by seizures) as well as psychological problems (such as fear and sadness).

Falls, drowning, burns, and prolonged seizures are only a few of the “epilepsy-related” causes of mortality that should be avoided. In most cases, the cause of Epilepsy is unknown however, some of the common causes include:

Stroke

Brain tumour

Traumatic brain injury or head injury

Central nervous system infection

Epilepsy can be prevented and managed or controlled. Some of the preventive measures include:

The best strategy to stop post-traumatic epilepsy is to prevent head injuries.

Proper prenatal care can lower the number of new cases of epilepsy brought on by birth trauma.

The risk of febrile seizures (a common type of seizure) can be decreased by using medications and other techniques to lower a sick child’s body temperature.

The reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, such as actions to prevent or control high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, as well as abstaining from cigarettes and excessive alcohol consumption, is the main goal of the prevention of epilepsy linked with stroke.

On the other hand, successful self-management requires an active partnership between a person with epilepsy, the person’s Health Care Worker, family and friends. Support from the person’s inner circle surmounts to improved healthier behaviour.

Some diseases are not easy to deal with and one like epilepsy which catches its patient off guard, needs another person (support system) that understands and will always be alert too. For example, the lady in the accident, right? This also helps the patient gain confidence in healing. Epilepsy can be controlled.

Don’t wait to be told. Support a loved one. Stay safe. _________________________

Senior Health Promotion Officer

Ministry of Health- Headquarters Dept: Health Promotion, Environment and Social Determinants

Health Promotion

+260 953 268090