Epilepsy is a surprisingly common medical condition. This condition affects the patient's brain and causes them to have seizures, sometimes frequently. Our home GP service for epilepsy in Costa del Sol treats epileptic seizures at home.
What causes Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is caused by electrical activity that comes in bursts. This activity takes place within the brain and it affects how the brain works temporarily. Epilepsy can start at almost any age but it's more likely to start in patients who are children or those who are more than 60 years old.
A lifelong condition, epilepsy can and often does get better over time.
It's not clear to the medical world why people suffer from epilepsy. It could be down to the genes patients have inherited from their parents. These genes affect how their brain works. Approximately 30% of people with epilepsy are related to someone else who has this condition.
In some cases, epilepsy might be caused by:
- Lack of oxygen when the patient was born
- A stroke
- Misuse alcohol
- Drug misuse
- A brain tumour
- Severe head injuries
- A brain infection
The Symptoms of Epilepsy
The seizures that people often experience can affect patients in a variety of ways. This is because the symptoms depend on the area of the brain where the electrical activity takes place.
Some of the symptoms include:
- Shaking and jerking that's uncontrollable
- Stiffness
- Staring into space
- Losing awareness
- Collapsing
- Unusual tastes or smells
- Tingling in legs or arms
- Fainting and not remembering having a fit
When you should call a GP
You should call for the Home GP service for Epilepsy in Costa del Sol if you think you have had a seizure and you've never had one before. Please note, a solitary seizure might not mean that you have epilepsy it could be a one-time thing. However, it's important that you speak to a GP so you can determined what happened and why.
Supporting people with epilepsy is possible. However, you should know when to call for help.
You should call for help if:
- The patient has a seizure that lasts for more than five minutes
- The patient has a lot of seizures in a short space of time
- The patient has difficulty breathing
- The patient has sustained an injury
How to Treat Epilepsy
There are treatments for epilepsy, and some treatments can prevent people from having any seizures. Other treatments might simply have fewer seizures.
Some of the treatments include:
- Anti-epileptic drugs
- Embarking on a ketogenic diet that can help to control the seizures
- Surgery that involves removing the part of the bran that is causing the patient's seizures
- A procedure that involves placing an electrical device in the body. This device can help to control the seizures
While it's likely that you might need to be treated for the rest of your life, treatment might be stopped if you have no seizures over a specific period of time.
If you think you might have had an epileptic fit for the first time or you're concerned about your symptoms please call our Home GP service for Epilepsy in Costa del Sol.