Of course, hearing such a diagnosis is always a stress for parents. And yet it is not necessary to panic - today children's epilepsy is successfully treated. We will tell you about the disease and the newest methods of treating epilepsy and overcoming it.
Many-faced and strange
The first mention of the newest methods of treating epilepsy dates back to the times of Ancient Babylon, but it was possible to establish its nature about a century ago. The cause of this chronic brain disease is "disruptions" in the metabolism of brain nerve cells (synapses and mitochondria), which are expressed in repeated and uncontrolled seizures that disrupt motor, vegetative, mental, and psychic reactions. But it is important for parents to know that a single attack is not a diagnosis, just like a convulsion caused by high fever.
The initial stage of the disease in the child is often accompanied by short-term loss of consciousness. From the side it seems as if the patient is frozen in place. Other scenarios are also possible: the child clasps his hands non-stop, tapping on the table, "nods", turning pale or blushing (the pulse may slow down or become more frequent). But the worst thing for parents is when there is a real fit with rolling your eyes, throwing back your head and impulsively twitching all the muscles (in 5% of cases).
Suspiciously ...
Signs of predisposition to epilepsy:
The child often wakes up in the middle of the night and walks in a dream (so-called sleepwalking). At the same time he does not answer questions and questions, and in the morning he can not remember the night adventure.
Children often have nightmares, and the plot of the dream is the same. Night vision causes crying, laughing, talking, throwing, accompanied by a sense of fear, sweating, palpitations. For several weeks and even months, complaints of a sudden, paroxysmal, causeless headache. As a rule, it occurs in the morning (afternoon) and is often accompanied by nausea or vomiting. An "unusual" syncope is possible, in which muscles are strained. Short-term speech disorders (two to three times a day) - the child understands everything, but can not speak. The newest methods of treating epilepsy will help you to understand this ailment.
The child is too agile, excited, unconcerned, distracted, unable to control his hyperactivity. Over time, aggression, aggravation of attention and memory are added.
Noticing strange symptoms, it is better to immediately consult a neurologist. If you start treatment on time, in 50 to 60% of cases it will be effective.
What is the insidiousness of this disease?
Seizures can be not only extensive, with spasms of the body and falling, but also imperceptible, which can only be recognized by the inhibited reaction. Temporary nausea, short disorders of perception, thinking and control of motor skills - all this can be a sign of epilepsy. In addition, the disease can affect the human psyche. Mental disorders, depression, psychosis - often satellites of epilepsy. Therefore, it is very important to take into account that this ailment requires neurological treatment. But personality changes, the so-called "epileptic character", are not relevant in modern practice, since they partly used the latest methods of treating epilepsy.
Why does this happen?
The list of causes of childhood epilepsy is extensive. Complications during childbirth (20%) - birth trauma, hypoxia of the newborn (oxygen starvation of the brain).
Head injuries (5-10%): as a rule, they are serious enough. Posttraumatic attacks are delayed in time - sometimes months or even years pass from the moment of the incident. Somatic and infectious diseases (15%): cerebral palsy, meningitis; encephalitis, lupus erythematosus. Tumors and anomalies of the brain (1 5%).
Metabolic disorders (10%): diabetes, kidney and liver diseases. With a predisposition to epilepsy, the banal overeating can exacerbate the situation (high-calorie high-calorie foods disrupt metabolism). Genetics (10%). Inheritance is not epilepsy itself, but features of the brain. The newest methods of epilepsy will help you to ruin the situation and choose the most suitable option for its solution.
What, in your opinion, are the main causes of epilepsy?
Most often, epilepsy occurs because of non-hereditary disorders of brain development, birth trauma (oxygen deficiency), or damage during life (trauma, infection, tumor, circulatory disorders, atherosclerotic vessel changes). The group at increased risk includes people who already have brain damage, or in whose families there is a hereditary epilepsy. But there are genetic disorders: for example, changes in the properties of nerve cell membranes that cause their increased excitability.
Diagnostics
Electroencephalography (EEG) - is an affordable and safe newest method of treating epilepsy, recording and evaluating the total electrical activity of the brain. The method allows to fix in which of the brain parts an epileptic attack occurs and how it spreads.
Neuroradiologic studies (computer or magnetic resonance imaging of the brain) diagnose structural changes in the brain (porokrazvitiya, swelling, trauma), provoking seizures. Sometimes seizures in children cause chromosomal abnormalities or metabolic diseases. In this case, additional research will be needed: the determination of the chromosome set, the biochemical studies of blood and urine, and others.
Let's do it!
What are the modern methods of treating epilepsy? This is one of the most successfully curable neurological diseases - in 2/3 of cases, long-term use of antiepileptic medicines provides complete control over seizures (in addition, clinical studies of new pharmacological techniques to prevent the appearance of the disease). However, there are also "resistant" to medicines (focal) epilepsies - in this case only surgical intervention is effective. Depending on the location and type of brain damage, the effectiveness of this method of treatment ranges from 50% to 80%. One of Europe's largest and leading centers for epilepsy surgery is located at the University Clinic. The epileptic center offers all methods of investigating and treating epilepsy that are consistent with international standards. On the basis of this Center, new methods of treating epilepsy are developed at an early stage in the diagnosis of the disease.
The most modern and well tolerated of them is radiosurgical therapy, with the help of irradiation the brain area and methods of stimulating deep brain structures are functionally modulated. The Center uses interim radiosurgery (with deep-lying lesions), stimulation of the vagus nerve and deep structures of the hippocampus (parts of the brain responsible for long-term memory).
What are the specific features of treating epilepsy in children? Timely treatment of epilepsy in children allows you to adjust the processes of maturation of the brain and cognitive - behavioral development. It is necessary to determine in time the form of epilepsy, cured medically, from the more severe, in which only surgical intervention will help. In some cases, therapeutic methods are also effective, for example, "ketogenic diet". This nutritional system supports the state of ketosis in the body (carbohydrate starvation - in this case, the main source of energy are fat: the fat content and protein + carbohydrates - about 4: 1). The new diet "rebuilds" the metabolism, the body starts biochemical changes, and seizures happen less often. The correct ratio of products in the menu is calculated by the doctor, given the diagnosis, age and weight of the child. Sometimes the disease passes by itself. As a rule, this happens in the transition years. But you should not rely on it. It is important to start treatment on time with the help of the newest methods of treating epilepsy.
Tailed healers
American researchers have found that some dogs can predict an epileptic seizure in children. They try to prevent the attack in all sorts of ways (in a few minutes or even hours!) - pushing the child away from the stairs, lying down on the master or next to him, preventing him from standing at a dangerous moment. More often than not, dogs lick their children as a warning!