International Epilepsy Day (Feb 8th): Epilepsy - Watch out for these symptoms

Epilepsy is a disease that affects the brain. Epilepsy needs to be investigated thoroughly whenever it is not controlled. The good news is that epilepsy is treatable.

- Dr NK Venkataramana

Epilepsy is a disease that affects the brain like any other disease affecting any part of the body. It is caused basically due to an abnormal electrical surge that happens in the brain in a particular area and quickly spreads to other parts resulting in loss of consciousness, associated with violent movement of hands and legs, frothing in the mouth, cry with passing urine in clothes and remain unresponsive for a while and then gradually recover. Once they recover, a lot of them complain of muscle pain and body pain.

Epilepsy is treatable

The good news is that epilepsy is treatable. Epilepsy is of many types. In case of generalized tonic-clonic seizures, a person cries and falls down, lose consciousness, have movement of hands and legs and tongue bite. There is yet another type of epilepsy called Focal epilepsy- this involves twitching of face and hands which lasts for a while and is associated with little numbness and then settles down.