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Short Summary
Main recommendation: If you have a seizure, get it worked up to find the underlying cause, since epilepsy is treatable and usually controlled with one or two medications, with surgery sometimes an option when drugs fail. Epilepsy is defined as having more than one seizure for unexplained reasons, and the video frames the diagnosis as an evaluation for something that can be treated.
Key Points
- Epilepsy means having more than one seizure for unexplained reasons, and about 10 percent of people will have a seizure at some point, while about one or two percent develop epilepsy.
- Causes include genetic factors, brain abnormalities, brain tumors, stroke, dementia, traumatic brain injury, infections, and brain problems present at birth.
- Many people with epilepsy have brains that look completely healthy on MRI and other imaging.
- Newer epilepsy medications are described as innovative, target specific mechanisms, and show greater efficacy than older drugs, which had many side effects.
Details Worth Noting
Concrete instructions: After a seizure, the goal is to work it up and determine whether there is a treatable cause, and to identify specifically what is triggering it before choosing treatment. If medications do not work, surgery can sometimes be considered.
- Medication response varies by person, but the epilepsy medications are fairly similar in class, so the choice depends on the individual.
- The video names no specific drugs, doses, or brands.
- Dr. Jeffrey Bigelow of the Intermountain Medical Center Epilepsy Clinic presents the discussion, which was tied to Epilepsy Awareness Month in November.
- Normal-appearing brain imaging does not rule out epilepsy.
