When Seizure Types Change: Part I

Change in the Course and Pattern of Seizures

Many people with epilepsy can experience changes in the pattern, frequency and nature of their seizures. Such changes might mean worsening of the disorder, improvement of the condition, or have no consequences.

A change might have various causes and various consequences for each person. The epileptologist (epilepsy neurologist) can help make this distinction with the help of an accurate history and by using diagnostic methods, e.g. electroencephalogram (EEG) or imaging.

Epilepsy Types and Seizure Types

To develop a better understanding of a change, it is wise to review the different types of epilepsy and different types of seizures. Basically there are two main types of epilepsy. Eighty percent of people have Localization-Related Epilepsy (LRE) and 20 percent have Primary Generalized Epilepsy (PGE).

In LRE, seizures start in one focus in the brain. This focus can cause a brief and simple partial seizure (SPS), which manifests in different ways, depending on what part of the brain is involved. If a SPS affects alertness, it is called a Complex Partial Seizure (CPS). CPS’s are the most common manifestation of epilepsy. Both SPS’s and CPS’s can propagate to involve the whole brain and cause a generalized seizure, also known as a “Grand mal” seizure.

People with PGE experience generalized seizures, which involve the whole brain at the same time. These can be tonic-clonic (grand mal), tonic, myoclonic, atonic, or absence (petit mal) seizures. (more…)

Q&A with Dr. Akila Venkataraman

NEXT UP: Part I of “When Seizure Types Change”  by Dr. Shahin Nouri

 

The team at EFMNY would like to thank you for your questions! After each post, we’ll post answers from our experts to the most frequently asked questions we receive.  Please note that these Q&A post, like our provider articles, should not be taken as medical advice.  Each patient is unique.  For medical advice regarding your specific condition, please consult your doctor.

 

Q&A with Dr. Akila Venkataraman:

 

1. I was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 9 and I’ve continued to have seizures for more than a decade in spite of seeing a number of doctors and taking several medications. My parents and siblings are all healthy. Why are some people predisposed to have seizures while others are not? I’ve never even had a head injury.

While many people who have seizures may have a family history of epilepsy, having seizures depends mostly on the nature of an individual’s brain cells. Some people have been found to have genes that make them more susceptible to having seizures than others, even if they are otherwise healthy.

2. You mentioned the social implications of being unable to drive due to seizures. I’ve been seizure free for 8 months, so my doctor cleared me to drive again. I was thrilled, but now every time I get behind the wheel, I’m paralyzed. I’m so afraid that this could be the day it comes back. How can I be sure I won’t have another seizure while driving? (more…)

What is Uncontrolled Epilepsy?: Part II

When epilepsy is uncontrolled, it indicates the continued occurrence of an unacceptable quantity of seizures despite reasonable treatment. The amount of seizures deemed unacceptable is dependant on the nature of the seizures, the patient’s lifestyle and the consequences of such uncontrolled seizures.

So, what does uncontrolled epilepsy translate to in real life? What does uncontrolled epilepsy mean to those who are affected by it?

Continuing to experience seizures despite treatment, otherwise defined as intractable or refractory epilepsy, becomes a disability. Life becomes limited and circumscribed. (more…)

Q&A with Dr. Stephen Karceski

NEXT UP: Part II of “What Is Uncontrolled Epilepsy” by

Dr. Akila Venkataraman

 

 

 

The team at EFMNY would like to thank you for your questions! After each article we feature, we’ll post answers from our experts to the most frequently asked questions we receive.  Please note that these Q&A posts, like our articles, should not be taken as medical advice.  Each patient is unique.  For medical advice regarding your specific condition, please consult your doctor. For more information about epilepsy (a.k.a. seizure disorder), visit our website by clicking HERE.

 

Q&A with Dr. Stephen Karceski:

1. ”I have tried every medication; some seem to work for awhile but then my seizures come back. How common is this and why is it only for up to a year, more or less that the medication helps?”

You are not alone.  Many people experience an improvement in their seizures.  Then, after about 3 months (or more), the seizures gradually return to the previous frequency. No one knows why some people have this experience.  However, this is an active area of research – we may know much more about this in the near future.

2. ”I’m not a candidate for surgery and am not interested in the ketogenic diet. I am in a support group where a few persons have VNS but that hasn’t eliminated all their seizures, though it has helped. Is there a point when a doctor concludes seizure reduction is good enough?”   (more…)

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