Question: What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a condition where the brain sends abnormal signals. This can cause seizures which are sudden, brief changes in how someone behaves or feels. The seizures may be convulsions that involve shaking of the body and loss of consciousness. They can also be “absence” seizures, staring spells with no movement at all for several seconds to minutes. These symptoms are caused by unusual electrical activity in the brain cells. There are many different kinds of epilepsy, but they all have one thing in common – there is an underlying problem with how nerve cells communicate within the brain itself or between different parts of the nervous system (the nerves that connect our brains to our muscles and senses)

Seizures can be caused by many different things including illness or injury to the brain. Sometimes seizures are triggered by fever or other medical conditions. Some children have seizures that don’t stop on their own and need emergency treatment. If your child has a seizure it doesn’t mean they have epilepsy (seizure disorder). Epilepsy is when someone has more than one unprovoked seizure because of an underlying problem with their brain function. We will talk about this later but for now, let us focus on seizures first!

There are two types of seizures - focal and generalized  Let us learn more about them! Focal means one area of the brain is affected while generalized means both sides of the brain are involved simultaneously. Focal seizures may start as focal then become generalised or start as generalised then progress to focal type . There may be warning signs before a seizure happens such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, visual disturbances etc . Some people lose consciousness during a seizure while others do not . Seizures usually last from seconds up to several minutes depending upon it's cause and severity !!! So how does our doctor evaluate these episodes? Let's find out!

This e-learning course is designed to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of epilepsy in children. By completing this course, you will be able to identify the signs and symptoms of seizures, understand the different types of epilepsy, and know when to seek medical help. You will also learn about the role of EEG and MRI in diagnosing and managing epilepsy and be able to distinguish between epileptic seizures and seizure imitators.

Learning outcomes: 

1) What are seizures? What are the reasons for a child to have a seizure? How is it different from Epilepsy

2) what will you notice if a child has a seizure

 3)  How seizure is evaluated by your Doctor

 4) What is the role of EEG and MRI in Epilepsy

5) What are the imitators of Epilepsy

6) How to differentiate between focal and generalised seizure

7) What is Epileptic Encephalopathy and how does it present

8) How to investigate Epilepsy?  

9) Role of Regular medication, Rescue medication in Epilepsy

10) Other treatments of Epilepsy - Ketogenic diet, Vagal Nerve stimulator, Epilepsy Surgery, CBD oil