Epilepsy

What is a seizure?

Your brain cells communicate with each other by sending electrical charges. A seizure occurs when there’s an uncontrolled electrical disturbance in your brain. Seizures affect everyone differently. In some cases, they cause changes to your behavior, movements, or level of consciousness. If you have recurrent seizures, you have epilepsy.

What is epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal brain activity and recurrent seizures. Anyone can develop epilepsy. It affects men, women, children, and people of all ages and ethnicities.

If you experience one seizure, it doesn’t mean that you have epilepsy. Some people require lifelong treatment for epilepsy, while others grow out of the condition.

What causes epilepsy?

A variety of factors contribute to the condition including:

• Genetics
• Head trauma
• Infectious diseases
• Prenatal injuries
• Brain malformations

Still many cases do not have a clear etiology. Part of the evaluation process includes looking for a cause.

How is epilepsy diagnosed?

To diagnose epilepsy, the team at PANDA Neurology & Atlanta Headache Specialists performs a physical exam, reviews your medical history, and asks about the symptoms you’re experiencing. Depending on your symptoms, your evaluation might also include blood tests, and an MRI scan.

Your doctor will also recommend an electroencephalogram (EEG), a test used to help diagnose epilepsy. During an EEG, a certified technologist attaches electrodes to your scalp, which monitors the electrical activity of your brain. If you have epilepsy, an EEG commonly shows abnormal patterns in your brainwaves.

How is epilepsy treated?

The team at PANDA Neurology & Atlanta Headache Specialists takes an integrative and holistic approach to epilepsy treatment. Ultimately, the goal of epilepsy treatment is to control seizures with the fewest possible side effects.

In most cases, the team treats epilepsy with anti-seizure medications. However, finding the right medicine and dosage is challenging. Your doctor considers the severity of your condition, the type of epilepsy, the frequency of your symptoms, and your age to determine which medication you’ll most benefit from.

If anti-seizure medications aren’t effective and your seizures continue, the team might recommend an evaluation for surgery, or dietary therapy. The team also offers clinical trials in the field of epilepsy under the research component of our practice, CIRCA.

If you’re concerned about seizures or epilepsy, make an appointment at PANDA Neurology & Headache Specialists today. Call the office or click the online booking tool.