Epilepsy Essay -- Neurology Disorders Seizures Papers

Epilepsy Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent transports which are easy by any immediately identifiable cause (Hopkins & Shorvon, 1995). It is also cognize as a seizure disorder. A wide range of cerebrate and risk factors are associated with the condition, but most of the time the cause is unknown. Epilepsy is virtuoso of the most common neurological disorders, affecting approximately two and one-half one thousand million people in the US and about 50 million worldwide. Though seizures can occur at any age, epilepsy is most normally seen in children and the elderly. Most respond well to treatment and can go through their seizures, but for some it is a chronic illness. A clinical diagnosing is the first step to finding a potential cure for the disorder.The diagnosis of epilepsy is usually made after the patient experiences a second unprovoked seizure (Leppik, 2002). Diagnosis is often difficult, however, since it is unlikely that the physician will in truth s ee the patient experience and epileptic seizure, and therefore must rely heavily on patients history. An electroencephalography (EEG) is often used to break down the patients brain waves, and some forms of epilepsy can be revealed by a characteristic disturbance in electrical frequency (Bassick, 1993). The variations in frequency can take form as spikes or terse waves (Fisher, 1995). The variations are divided into two groups, ictal electrograph abnormalities, which are disturbances resulting from seizure activity, and interictal electrograph abnormalities, or disturbances between seizures. The EEG can also give clues as to which neck of the woods of the brain the disturbances arise from. Interictal temporal spikes will predict the side of seizure origin in 95% of patients if three times as ... ...sy (pp. 201-211). refreshing York, Plenum Press.McIntosh, G. (1992). Neurological Conceptualizations of Epilepsy. In T. Bennett (Ed.),The Neuropsychology of Epilepsy (pp. 17-37). br an-new York, Plenum Press.Shorvon, S. (1995). Drug Treatment of Epilepsy. In A. Hopkins, S. Shorvon, & G. Cascino (Eds.), Epilepsy (pp. 171-213). London, Chapman and Hall Medical.Thompson, P. (1991). Memory Function in Patients with Epilepsy. In D. Smith, D.Treiman, & M. Trimble (Eds.), Neurobehavioral Problems in Epilepsy (pp. 369-383). new-made York, Raven Press.Upton, A. (2002). Vagal Stimulation for Intractable Seizures. In W. Burnham, P. Carlin, &P. Hwang (Eds.), Intractable Seizures (pp. 233-239). New York, Kluwer Academic.Vining, E. (2002). The Ketogenic Diet. In W. Burnham, P. Carlin, & P. Hwang (Eds.),Intractable Seizures (pp. 225-231). New York, Kluwer Academic.