Can acquired epilepsy be treated?

Written by Yuan Jun Li
Neurology
Updated on December 20, 2024
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Acquired epilepsy can be treated.

Most cases of acquired epilepsy are due to some organic lesions, also known clinically as secondary epilepsy, primarily treated by addressing the underlying disease. Common clinical conditions include brain organic lesions such as cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, brain tumor, encephalitis, and brain parasitic infections. Systemic diseases like diabetes and hyperparathyroidism can also lead to epilepsy.

If epilepsy persists or if there is a major epileptic seizure, it can lead to brain cell hypoxia and even brain edema in severe cases. When necessary, treatments to protect the brain and reduce intracranial pressure are required. Medications for brain protection include Cytidine Diphosphate Choline and Lacosamide, while drugs to lower blood pressure mainly include Mannitol, Glycerol Fructose, and Furosemide. Most patients potentially can be carefully cured through the treatment of the underlying disease, and if seizures persist after the treatment of the primary disease, antiepileptic drugs should be administered.

(The use of medications should be under the guidance of a physician.)

Other Voices

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What are the psychological manifestations of patients with epilepsy?

Patients with epilepsy disorder display various psychological disturbances, which have received extensive attention from neurology experts in recent years. Overall, the psychological manifestations of epilepsy patients primarily include: First, refusal to speak, where epilepsy patients exhibit clear symptoms of being uninterested in anything, valuing themselves very lowly, and lacking self-worth. Second, anxiety, which is also a common emotion among epilepsy patients who constantly worry about having seizures, especially in public places, leaving a significant psychological impact on themselves. Third, epilepsy patients usually possess a fairly obvious sense of inferiority, feeling unable to lift their heads in front of others. Fourth, complex psychological disturbances, where epilepsy patients typically experience coexisting psychological disorders, such as simultaneous anxiety and depression, or compulsions coexisting with depression. Therefore, accurate diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy must pay close attention to the psychological expressions of the patients.

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What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

Seizures in children manifest in various forms, but they all share characteristics of sudden onset, sudden cessation, and periodic occurrence. Common types include grand mal seizures, absence seizures, and benign childhood epilepsy. During a grand mal seizure, the child suddenly loses consciousness, stops breathing, turns blue-purple, pupils dilate, limbs stiffen, hands clench into fists, followed by spasmodic convulsions, foaming at the mouth, with the episode generally lasting 1-5 minutes. Absence seizures in children present as sudden loss of consciousness, interruption of activity, staring or rolling of the eyes, but without falling down or convulsing, lasting 1-10 seconds, with consciousness quickly returning after the episode. Benign childhood epilepsy seizures often involve twitching of one side of the face, lips, or tongue, possibly accompanied by abnormal sensations in the area, inability to speak, drooling, generally with clear consciousness, with episodes occurring more frequently at night.

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What are the symptoms of epilepsy in children?

Common symptoms of epilepsy in children generally include sudden convulsions. During a convulsion, the typical manifestations are tightly closed or staring eyes, rolled-up eyeballs, clenched teeth, twitching at the corners of the mouth, frothing at the mouth, head and neck thrown back, and repetitive flexing or rigid shaking of the limbs. Generally, these can last for a few minutes, or vary from several seconds to ten minutes. Of course, there are also focal seizures, such as twitching of one side of the body, or absence seizures. Some infantile spasms are characterized by jackknife movements, occurring in clusters, with each display being different. The symptoms described earlier are typical of a generalized tonic-clonic seizure.

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Early Symptoms of Baby Epilepsy

The early symptoms of epilepsy in babies include excessive sweating on the head during feeding and sleep. Due to the irritation of the sweat, the child likes to shake their head, which causes friction on the back of the head, leading to hair loss over time. Additionally, the child appears restless and easily wakes up during sleep. If parents notice these symptoms of epilepsy, they should seek treatment for their child early to avoid delays and recurrent conditions.

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What is childhood epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a persistent brain disease characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures, abnormal perceptions, and associated neurological, cognitive, psychological, and social issues. An epileptic seizure refers to sudden, brief symptoms and signs caused by excessive and abnormal discharges of brain neurons. Depending on the affected brain functional areas, clinical manifestations can vary, including disturbances in consciousness, motor functions, sensory abnormalities, as well as psychiatric and autonomic nervous system dysfunctions. It is important to note that epileptic seizures and epilepsy are two distinct concepts.