What is epilepsy, types and causes. Symptoms of epilepsy of different types, treatment. First aid

Epilepsy - symptoms and treatment in adults and children

Epilepsy belongs to diseases of the central nervous system and is characterized by the presence of a focus of strong excitation in the cerebral cortex, which provokes convulsive attacks. This pathology is quite common, so every person needs to know what the symptoms of an epilepsy attack look like. This will help to quickly navigate the situation and provide first aid to the patient.

Causes of an epileptic attack

Diseases of the central nervous system are classified as follows:

1. Symptomatic epilepsy - during the examination, experts discover a defect in the brain. It can be a cyst (benign neoplasm), malformation, hemorrhage, malignant tumor.
2. Cryptogenic is the name of epilepsy, the cause of which could not be established even after a full examination.
3. Idiopathic epilepsy - no pathological changes in the structure of the brain are detected during the examination. We are talking about a hereditary factor.
4. A distinction is also made between asymptomatic and convulsive manifestations - these types of epilepsy will make up the clinical picture of the disease.

In addition, there may be temporal and/or focal epilepsy - differentiation according to the region of the cerebral cortex where the focus of increased excitability is located.

Symptoms

The manifestation of the disease can be bright, or it can be hidden. The symptoms of epilepsy in adults will depend on which type of disease is present. If we are talking about a generalized convulsive attack, then the clinical picture will be as follows:

1. An attack begins with respiratory arrest. At this moment, the patient may scream loudly and bite his tongue.
2. After 10-20 seconds, alternating muscle contraction and relaxation begins - a clinical phase that ends with involuntary (uncontrolled) urination.
3. After 5 minutes, the convulsions stop, the patient becomes drowsy, his consciousness is confused, the reaction is inhibited.

It is the generalized convulsive epileptic attack that is something terrible and irreparable for the environment. But doctors also distinguish convulsive epilepsy, which is characterized by the following symptoms:

• a person suddenly freezes, his gaze is directed to one point;
• eyes are covered with trembling eyelids;
• chin begins to tremble;
• head is thrown back.

This type of disease of the central nervous system is diagnosed only in children (in youth) and often the described signs remain unnoticed.

It is necessary to note some features of the manifestation of different types of epilepsy:

1. The first attacks of focal epilepsy may be accompanied by short-term amnesia after the seizure ends. The patient does not remember the attack, does not understand where he is and why he has a headache (for example, if he fell and hit himself during a direct attack).
2. The considered disease of the central nervous system is accompanied by sudden sweating, involuntary swallowing and chewing, heart pain, arrhythmia.
3. After an attack of temporal epilepsy, disorders of fat/water-salt metabolism, endocrine disorders, problems in the genital area may develop.
4. If there was a brain injury, a complication in the form of post-traumatic epilepsy may develop - this type of pathology is considered temporary. It can completely disappear after treatment of the main problem, or it can turn into a chronic form.
5. Epilepsy can also develop as a complication with alcohol addiction. Its symptoms will be classic, but patients with alcoholic epilepsy note that attacks occur in the first hours after stopping long-term use of alcoholic beverages.

First aid for an epileptic attack

If a person nearby has an epileptic attack, you need to be able to give him first aid. You should not panic, shout - it is enough to know the first aid algorithm for an epileptic seizure:

1. Place the patient on something soft. As a last resort, put a jacket/bag under your head to prevent injury.
2. Turn the patient's head to the side and keep it in this position - prevention of swallowing vomit and saliva.
3. It is easy to hold the lower and upper limbs, but you should not squeeze them strongly and try to resist convulsions.
4. If the jaws are already tightly closed, it is forbidden to spread the teeth with any object. If there is an opportunity, then you need to insert a folded handkerchief or napkin into your mouth.

After the attack has ended, the patient falls into a deep and often long sleep - it is not necessary to wake him up. It is necessary to call the "Ambulance" team to fix the attack and administer specific medicines. In addition, it is necessary to call the "Ambulance" if the patient has a disability group due to epilepsy - doctors should record the frequency of attacks, this will be useful during the next examination.

General principles of epilepsy treatment

The very causes of an epileptic seizure are the directions in the choice of therapy. For example, if seizures are caused by a malignant tumor in the brain, it must be removed. If the increased excitability of a cell in the brain is associated with a hemorrhage, then the accumulation of blood is removed and the condition of the vessels is normalized.

Treatment of epilepsy in children under one year consists in diagnosis, finding out the real causes of the disease and selecting specific drugs that can calm the pathological center and reduce its excitability. It is not uncommon for a child to be diagnosed not with epilepsy, but with status epilepticus, which means frequent seizures that follow one after the other and can appear up to 30-40-50 or more times a day.

Information about whether it is possible to cure symptomatic epilepsy, what medicines doctors prescribe, how to diagnose epilepsy and what to do for the patient himself, can be found on the pages of our website https://dobrobut.com/.

Related services:
Consultation of a neurologist
Block of intensive therapy