Epilepsy AND Electroencephalography (EEG) : NEET PG Medicine (2023)

FAQs

Is EEG enough to diagnose epilepsy? ›

An EEG records the electrical activity of your brain via electrodes affixed to your scalp. EEG results show changes in brain activity that may be useful in diagnosing brain conditions, especially epilepsy and other seizure disorders.

Most people with epilepsy live a full life. However, the risk of early death is higher for some. We know that the best possible seizure control and living safely can reduce the risk of epilepsy-related death.

A. Yes. People with epilepsy can live normal, long healthy lives by managing seizures.

Electroencephalography. If a doctor suspects epilepsy is causing your symptoms, he or she may order an electroencephalography, or EEG. This tool is the most specific test for diagnosing epilepsy because it records the electrical activity of the brain.

Blood tests, an Electroencephalogram (EEG) and scans are used to gather information for a diagnosis. Tests on their own cannot confirm or rule out epilepsy.

Diagnosing epilepsy is not simple. Doctors gather lots of different information to assess the causes of seizures. If you have had two or more seizures that started in the brain you may be diagnosed with epilepsy. Getting a diagnosis is not always easy as there is no single test that can diagnose epilepsy.

The incidence of any type of seizure increases substantially over the age of 60, commonly due to other neurological conditions such as dementia or stroke.

Some people require lifelong treatment. For others, seizures eventually go away. Some children with epilepsy may outgrow the condition with age.

Summary: On average, people with epilepsy live 10-12 years fewer than those who do not have the condition. Excess mortality is particularly pronounced among people with epilepsy and mental disorders. On average, people with epilepsy live 10-12 years fewer than those who do not have the condition.

Exercise is good for everyone, but it also has important benefits for people with epilepsy. Occasionally seizures can be triggered by physical exercise, but this is rare. In general, physical activity doesn't worsen epilepsy and in many cases, it may even improve seizure control through improved overall health.

Do any celebrities have epilepsy? ›

Danny Glover: The Academy Award-winning actor struggled with epilepsy and seizures as a child. Like many people with epilepsy, he outgrew the disorder. Glover attributes part of his success to being able to recognize the warning signs of seizures after his first one at the age of 15.

About 6 out of 10 people diagnosed with epilepsy can become seizure free within a few years with proper treatment. Many of these people will never have any more seizures. For the rest of the people, some will have occasional breakthrough seizures or side effects of medicines and others will have uncontrolled seizures.

Stress and anxiety can cause the physical symptoms of a seizure that are not caused by abnormal changes in the electrical activity of the brain. These seizures are known as Non-Epileptic Seizures (NES). Stress is also a trigger for people who have been diagnosed with epilepsy.

Many patients with epilepsy have a normal EEG between attacks. An abnormal EEG means I have epilepsy. Many people without seizures have mild abnormalities on EEG. Epilepsy is a clinical diagnosis, that is, made on the basis of history and examination.

Upon clinical suspicion, the gold standard diagnostic method of epilepsy is EEG, which can detect abnormal electrical discharges in the brain.

A study showed that as many as 90,000 people were misdiagnosed with epilepsy, which is as many as 1 in 4 cases. It's not surprising that misdiagnosis is common with epilepsy as, in some cases, it can be notoriously difficult to diagnose and there are a number of other medical conditions that can appear very similar.

EEG: If performed within 24-48 hours of a first seizure, EEG shows substantial abnormalities in about 70% of cases. The yield may be lower with longer delays after the seizure. If the standard EEG is negative, sleep-deprived EEG will detect epileptiform discharges in an additional 13-31% of cases.

Some seizures cause obvious physical movements or loss of consciousness, but in other cases a seizure might not be visible to a bystander — not even a health professional. Some people with undiagnosed epilepsy may not even realize that the strange sensations or emotions they're experiencing are due to a seizure.

A neurologist will also use blood tests, imaging scans, and EEGs to determine if you have epilepsy. If you receive a diagnosis, they'll use different techniques to identify the types of seizures that you're having.

When is epilepsy most commonly diagnosed? ›

Epilepsy can begin at any time of life, but it's most commonly diagnosed in children, and people over the age of 65. Some children with epilepsy will outgrow their seizures as they mature, while others may have seizures that continue into adulthood.

If seizures can't be stopped or repeated seizures occur one right after another, permanent injury or death can occur. People with epilepsy can also die from problems that occur during or after a seizure, such as inhaling vomit. This problem can be prevented if the person is turned onto one side as soon as possible.

It can be inherited from one or both parents. Some studies³ have found that epilepsy is more likely to be passed down from the mother than the father. Even if someone does have one parent with an inheritable form of epilepsy, it doesn't necessarily mean that person will inherit the gene.

Epilepsy can start at any age, but usually starts either in childhood or in people over 60. It's often lifelong, but can sometimes get slowly better over time.

Triggers can differ from person to person, but common triggers include tiredness and lack of sleep, stress, alcohol, and not taking medication. For some people, if they know what triggers their seizures, they may be able to avoid these triggers and so lessen the chances of having a seizure.

Stress can sometimes contribute to people developing epilepsy in the first place. This is more likely if your stress is severe, lasts a long time, or has affected you very early in life.

About two-thirds of all children with epilepsy outgrow their seizures by the time they are teenagers. For some, though, epilepsy may be a lifelong condition. It is important for parents to partner with their health care providers to help understand their child's condition and treatment.

Ending (post-ictal) phase

This is the recovery stage and during this phase any physical after effects of the seizure are felt. The type of seizure and the part of the brain involved will determine how long it takes for a person to return to their usual self. Some common signs of this phase include: Confusion.

Teens and young adults with epilepsy MUST achieve a minimum of 8 hours a night of good-quality sleep! 15 Tips to Follow: Go to sleep at the same time every day.

What drinks are good for epilepsy? ›

Generally speaking, most people with epilepsy should be OK to drink coffee, tea, soda and other caffeinated drinks in small quantities without any serious risk of increasing the number of seizures they have.

In the February 15, 2011 issue of the Journal Neurology Dr. Steven Lomazow presents intriguing information based on historical research that he had done addressing the neurologic condition that surrounded Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Scholars have long been fascinated by evidence that prominent religious leaders, political leaders, philosophers, and many who achieved greatness in the arts and sciences suffered from epilepsy. Aristotle was apparently the first to connect epilepsy and genius.

There's no cure for epilepsy. But there are many options to treat epilepsy.

A low glycemic index diet focuses on foods with a low glycemic index, meaning they affect blood glucose levels slowly, if at all. Although it's not understood why, low blood glucose levels control seizures in some people. Foods on this diet include meat, cheese, and most high-fiber vegetables.

Children and older adults are more likely to have epilepsy because risk factors are more common in these groups.

Dravet syndrome is a rare, genetic epileptic encephalopathy that gives rise to seizures that don't respond well to seizure medications. It begins in the first year of life in an otherwise healthy infant.

People with epilepsy develop Alzheimer's disease at a rate 6 times higher than the non-epileptic population, and seizures can damage the memory centers of the brain and contribute to dementia.

What is the rule of 3 epilepsy? ›

Hence, the rule governing the required waiting time before declaring seizure freedom, which we may call the “Rule of Three-To-Six”, can be stated as follows: When the a priori probability that an intervention will confer seizure freedom is >50%, then an observation period 3 times the typical pre-intervention ...

Seizures caused by a delayed response to a very stressful event or situation, for example, being in a war or a disaster, are a response to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) - a condition that sometimes happens after a traumatic event.

Can sleep deprivation trigger a seizure? Yes, it can. Seizures are very sensitive to sleep patterns. Some people have their first and only seizures after an "all-nighter" at college or after not sleeping well for long periods.

An EEG can usually show if you are having a seizure at the time of the test, but it can't show what happens to your brain at any other time. So even though your test results might not show any unusual activity it does not rule out having epilepsy. Some types of epilepsy are very difficult to identify with an EEG.

Does epilepsy show up on MRI scans? No, not necessarily. An MRI scan can help your doctor understand some of the possible underlying structural causes of your seizures. However, for many people there is no structural cause behind their epilepsy and so the brain scan comes back 'normal'.

Do not eat or drink anything with caffeine in it for 12 hours before the test. This includes cola, energy drinks, and chocolate. Shampoo your hair and rinse with clear water the evening before or the morning of the test. Do not put any hair conditioner or oil on after you wash your hair.

If a seizure is caused by a psychological condition, there will be no evidence of atypical activity on an electroencephalogram (EEG). These types of seizures are sometimes called: psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) “pseudoseizures,” which is an outdated term.

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

Epilepsy treatment is most effective when the onset of the seizure can be specifically localized to one or more origins within the brain. MRI collects structural information and creates images of the brain by using a large magnet.

People sometimes think that imaging tests such as an EEG, CT scan or an MRI will determine that they have had a seizure. However, information from tests alone can't always confirm that a seizure has occurred, or that the person has epilepsy.

EEG recording of a seizure can begin with the appearance of abnormal discharges in bursts, known as ictal epileptiform discharges. The discharges increase in frequency to rapid continuous spikes and waves, progressing to numerous spikes with buried waves, at peak seizure activity.

What kind of seizures are not epilepsy? ›

PNES are attacks that may look like epileptic seizures but are not epileptic and instead are caused by psychological factors. Sometimes a specific traumatic event can be identified. PNES are sometimes referred to as psychogenic events, psychological events, or nonepileptic seizures (NES).

The most common neuroimaging tests for epilepsy are computed tomography (CT scan) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Both produce a picture of how the brain looks. MRI is preferred because it provides more information than CT. In fact, MRI is recommended as the imaging test of choice.

A drawback for EEG is the spatial resolution – as the electrodes measure electrical activity at the surface of the brain, it is difficult to know whether the signal was produced near the surface (in the cortex) or from a deeper region.

About 6 out of 10 people diagnosed with epilepsy can become seizure free within a few years with proper treatment. Many of these people will never have any more seizures. For the rest of the people, some will have occasional breakthrough seizures or side effects of medicines and others will have uncontrolled seizures.

Do not eat or drink anything with caffeine in it for 12 hours before the test. This includes cola, energy drinks, and chocolate. Shampoo your hair and rinse with clear water the evening before or the morning of the test. Do not put any hair conditioner or oil on after you wash your hair.

A neurologist will also use blood tests, imaging scans, and EEGs to determine if you have epilepsy. If you receive a diagnosis, they'll use different techniques to identify the types of seizures that you're having.

Furthermore, about 2% of normal school-age children who do not have seizures have epileptic activity on EEG. Conversely, a normal EEG does not exclude epilepsy. Many types of epilepsy may be associated with a normal EEG between seizures. A normal EEG during a "seizure" usually excludes epilepsy as the cause.

Epilepsy is more likely to develop in older adults because some risk factors for epilepsy are more common in older adults,³ such as: Strokes. Head injuries from falls.