Epilepsy
It is chronic brain disorder characterized by repeated convulsions or seizures. It result from a direct injury to the brain at birth or a metabolic disturbance in the brain. When epileptic seizures occur, the person loses consciousness while the body stiffens and the muscles jerk sharply. The seizure can be recorded on an electroencephalograph, or EEG from the surface of the skull, appearing as specific electrical-like patterns of nerve cell activity within the brain. The brain waves have a characteristically abnormal rhythm produced by excessive and synchronous nerve-cell discharges. Studies show that although epilepsy is not inherited, predisposition to the disorder is a hereditary trait responsible for some of the idiopathic cases.
Three major types of epilepsy
Grand-mal epilepsy: Often signaled by an involuntary scream, this is caused by contraction of the respiratory muscles. The entire body is gripped by a spastic muscular contraction; the face becomes livid, the breathing is arrested, and the back arched. The patient is exhausted after the attack, and sleeps heavily. Confusion, nausea, and sore muscles are often experienced upon awakening, and the patient may have no memory of the seizure.
Petit-mal epilepsy: These kinds of seizures are a sudden, momentary loss or impairment of consciousness. Apparent symptoms are an upward staring of the eyes, a staggering gait, or a twitching of the facial muscles. The patient often comes back to reality without realizing that he or she has experienced the seizure.
Psychomotor epilepsy: The main symptom of this is amnesia. Duration of the seizures varies from a few minutes to several hours. The behavior is totally unrelated to environment, but the patient keep does what he has been doing. This form of seizure can be preceded by an aura, which is characterized by abdominal discomfort, dizziness, or strange odors and sensations.
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