How to Live with Epilepsy

Epilepsy, or recurrent seizures, can affect huge numbers of people – in fact we all have a one in 30 chance of developing the condition at some point in our lives. But there is no reason why those who suffer from some form of epilepsy can’t live full and free lives.

In the UK, 25,000 people develop some form of epilepsy each year and at any one time some 300,000 people do have an active form of it.

There are about 15 types of epilepsy – such as febrile seizures, which affect young children with a high fever, reflex epilepsies that are brought on by stimulus like flickering lights, and Landau-Kleffner syndrome with symptoms that may include a loss of language abilities.

Within each type of epilepsy there are around a dozen categories of seizure. Most are sudden and short-lived, lasting a matter of seconds or minutes.

Not all kinds involve the stereotypical symptoms of losing consciousness or convulsions (when the muscles relax and tighten rhythmically). For example, absence seizures are brief episodes of staring, while complex partial seizures may appear to the observer to be nothing more than a bout of daydreaming.

Early warnings of the onset of a seizure can include a blurring of vision, déjà vu, racing thoughts, panic, nausea, headache, a tingling sensation, twitching or numbness. However, some types of seizures give no warning at all.

Certain lifestyles make the chances of an epileptic seizure more likely. These include: use of drugs and alcohol; a lack of sleep and stress.

About one in 20 people with epilepsy are sensitive to flashing lights, which means they can have seizures simply by watching certain television programmes, playing video games or being in a room with strobe lighting.

The vast majority of children with epilepsy attend mainstream schools and it is an offence under the Disability Discrimination Act to discriminate against anyone with the condition.

However, there are some limitations. If you have ever had an epileptic seizure you are not allowed to drive, and certain jobs are off limits, such as airline pilot, fire fighter and working in the army.

Drugs are the best way to treat epilepsy. The choice of drugs depends on the patient and the type of epilepsy they have. Taken regularly, anti epilepsy drugs control completely the seizures in three quarters of patients.

Even those whose seizures don’t disappear completely usually gain some benefit from the drugs. More than half the people who have their seizures completely controlled with anti-epilepsy drugs are able to come off treatment without a recurrence of their seizures.

If drugs fail to stop the seizures, then surgery is another option. Those people who have drug-resistant epilepsy usually have some damage to the hippocampus, a part of the brain involved with memory, and which is easily damaged. In patients with scarring of the hippocampus, surgery offers a 60 to 70 per cent chance of a cure.

It is an important part of first aid training to know how to cope if someone has an epileptic seizure. The first thing to remember is that the seizure is happening to them – not you – so you should stay calm and realise there is usually no danger or long-term threat. Just ensure that you take simple precautions.

If someone is having a seizure, then be careful to move dangerous objects away from him or her; only move that person if you believe that they are in a dangerous place, for example in a road or at the top of the stairs. Remain with them until they have fully recovered.

During a convulsion (when the muscles rhythmically tighten and relax):

• Don't place anything in the person's mouth. There's no danger of them swallowing their tongue and you may damage their teeth.
• Put something soft under his or her head to prevent injury.
• Don't try to restrict the convulsive movements as you may hurt the person or yourself.
• Make sure any tight clothing around the neck is loosened, including necklaces.
• After the convulsion, make sure the person is in a safe environment and remain with them until they've fully recovered. Check that nothing is obstructing their breathing.
• If the convulsion lasts longer than five minutes, or if the person is having repeated convulsions, call an ambulance.

For more information, visit The Epilepsy Research Foundation website – http://www.erf.org.uk