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Overview for Dietary and Lifestyle or Treatment info
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Epilepsy is a condition produced
by sudden and excessive bouts of electrical activity in the outer brain.
These attacks can cause unconsciousness, affect behaviour, muscle movement
and sensation. Epilepsy affects about 1 per cent of the population.
Epilepsy is either generalised, when the entire brain surface is affected,
or focal, when just a small area is responsible for the attacks.
Generalised epilepsy/fits/seizures/convulsions can be very serious 'tonic-clonic'
fits where the patient loses consciousness and his muscles contract
rigidly for about 20 seconds before jerky movements of the body and
limbs take over. Tongue biting, loss of bladder control and salivation
may occur, before a drowsy, forgetful period kicks in.
The other major type of generalised seizure is childhood absence seizure.
This starts in childhood but more than half will have recovered by late
adolescence. Spasmodically, the child stops talking and adopts a blank,
staring look. While they may drop anything being held, they retain their
body position.
Patients with focal epilepsy usually retain a level of consciousness
throughout the attack despite being confused and anxious. In the early
stages they frequently experience strange hallucinations of smell, taste
or visual image and continue with automated chewing, lip-smacking or
grimacing.
Most epilepsy has no obvious source and may have been caused by birth
trauma or damage within the womb. Degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's
or Huntington's Disease can cause epilepsy.
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