On Air Archive

Our thanks to the National Society for Epilepsy (NSE) for their contribution to this weeks report. To find out more about epilepsy and ways to support their campaigns visit their website:  www.epilepsynse.org.uk

So What About Epilepsy...well It affects at least 300,000 people in the UK and it is ten times more common than Multiple Sclerosis and four times more common than asthma and diabetes.

Epilepsy is not a disease or an illness, it’s not catching and having epilepsy does not make a person mentally handicapped.  It is the most common serious neurological condition and can affect anyone at any time, regardless of age, colour or class.

1 in 20 people will have a single seizure at some time in their life – this does not mean they have epilepsy.  1 in 50 people will go on to develop epilepsy.

Epilepsy is diagnosed on the basis of two or more epileptic seizures.  A seizure is triggered by a sudden interruption in the brain’s highly complex electro-chemical activity.

Everyone’s brain has the ability to produce a seizure, but in someone with epilepsy it could be that their brain has a low seizure resistance.  Other causes are brain tumours, scarring on the brain because of head injury or stroke, or the result of an infection such as meningitis.

There are many different types of seizure.  They vary from a tiny flutter of the eyelids or a momentary lapse in concentration (absences) to a full-blown convulsive seizure (tonic-clonic).

Once a diagnosis of epilepsy is made, a patient will be put onto anti-epileptic medication.  This treatment can control seizures in up to 80% of patients.

The most effective way of identifying the cause of a person’s epilepsy is by a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan.  The NSE operates the only MRI scanner dedicated solely to epilepsy.

In some cases of epilepsy, where the cause can be identified by a scan, the affected area of the brain can be removed and the person can be entirely seizure-free with no serious side effects.

Ancient misconceptions about epilepsy are still in evidence today.  There is a lot of stigma attached to having the condition.  Research shows that around 4% of the population still believe epilepsy is caused by possession of evil spirits. (Which of course it isnt!!) Many people do not know the basic first aid steps to take if they witness someone having a seizure...which is why we mention in our report about when and when you shouldn't call 999!! The NSE website contains detailed and accurate information on the steps you should take www.epilepsynse.org.uk