Epilepsy
What is Epilepsy?
According to the Epilepsy Foundation of Arizona, epilepsy is a medical
condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical
functions. Epilepsy is also known as seizure disorder and a person is
considered epileptic when he or she has had two or more seizures. About
300,000 American children under the age of 14 have epilepsy. Children with
epilepsy are affected at various ages and in various ways. For some, it will be
a temporary problem that is easily controlled with medication and outgrown
after a few years. For others, it may be a lifelong challenge affecting many
areas of life.
The main signs of epilepsy are seizures. A seizure is a brief, strong surge of
electrical activity that affects part or all of the brain. Seizures can last a few
seconds or a few minutes and may only include blank staring, lip smacking
and jerking movements but could also involve convulsions and loss of
consciousness. Experts divide seizures into generalized seizures (absence,
atonic, tonic-clonic, myoclonic), partial (simple and complex) seizures,
nonepileptic seizures and status epilepticus.
Seizures are one of the symptoms of epilepsy but there are different types of
epilepsy. Physicians need additional information to make an accurate
epilepsy diagnosis. This may include a detailed medical history, various
blood tests, EEG tests, and brain imaging tests such as CT and MRI scans.
Although there is no central registry of cases of epilepsy diagnosis or
seizures, studies show that by 20 years of age, one percent of the population
can be expected to have developed epilepsy. Epilepsy in adults requires
diligent management including strong support and resources,
self-education and safety precautions.
As you search for more information about Epilepsy, here
are some other sites that you may find helpful...
Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD)
https://www.azdes.gov/ddd/EligibilityReferral/frm_EligibilityRequirements.aspx
The Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.org/epilepsyclinic-sct/
Do you have a recommendation for an additional developmental disabilities
site that would be helpful?
Please e-mail:
anne@providersearch.com