Epilepsy part1
Epilepsy
Epilepsy in history:
Epilepsy is one of the oldest diseases known to mankind. It was previously called "the holy disease", surrounded by various myths attributed to the wrath of the gods, and he was among the most famous who mentioned that he was afflicted with this disease, “Qambiz”, King of Persia, and perhaps Hippocrates (350 BC) ABU Medicine is the first to remove the sanctity of epilepsy, as it was mentioned that it is a disease like other diseases that has its causes, characteristics and medical treatment.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is defined as a disorder and impairment in the performance of the brain in particular and the nervous system in general. In the normal state of the brain, there is electrical energy produced by the brain cells and transferred through the nervous system, so the muscles move. Electric energy, so he spoke what is known as (an epileptic seizure).
The difference between an epileptic seizure and other seizures:
When a person has a seizure, this does not necessarily mean that the person has epilepsy. A seizure can affect any person under certain conditions, such as high temperature, dehydration, or severe head injury or lack of oxygen, which is called a false seizure. But when these episodes are repeated for reasons that are not clear, in this case, we can say that the person has epilepsy.
Causes of epilepsy:
Any problem that disturbs the normal pattern of brain activity can lead to epilepsy.
The cause could be a disease, brain damage, or abnormal brain development. The cause cannot be determined for about three-quarters of epilepsy cases.
Epilepsy has several causes related to specific conditions and it may be difficult to determine the cause for a specific type of epilepsy for several reasons including brain chemistry itself, genetic causes, other disorders, environmental causes, or because of pregnancy and childbirth injuries,
Brain chemistry:
Epilepsy may be caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain that helps neurons transmit electrical impulses. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters. The reason may be due to either an increase or a lack of neurotransmitters, the increase leads to nervous stimulation, and the deficiency leads to nervous inhibition.
* It has been shown that an increase in the concentration of glutamic or glutamate in the nervous tissue, and a lack of activity of the mediator GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) predispose to the occurrence of epilepsy. Increased activity of the mediator GABA leading to a decrease
Muscle twitches.
Epilepsy may be caused by changes in brain cells called glia. Glia regulates the concentrations of chemicals in the brain that can alter the way neurons are sent.
* Research has shown that the cell membrane that surrounds all neurons plays an important role in epilepsy. Because these membranes generate electrical impulses. For this reason, researchers are studying the details of the membrane, how to move in and out of the membranes, how to nourish cells and the potential for membrane repair.
Genetic reasons:
Epilepsy is common in some families and the reason is due to an anomaly in certain genes.
Disturbances:
There are disorders that may spread to the brain, leading to epilepsy. In this case, epilepsy can be treated by treating these disorders, and epilepsy cases may not stop. This depends on the type of disturbance and the amount of damage caused. Strikes that may lead to epilepsy include the following:
Brain tumors, cerebral palsy, metabolic disorders, severe head injuries, and Alzheimer's disease can cause epilepsy because it alters the nature of the brain’s action.
Stroke, heart attacks, and other conditions that affect the blood supply to the brain (cerebrovascular disease) can cause epilepsy due to oxygen deprivation of the brain. About a third of new cases of epilepsy appear in and are caused by cerebrovascular disease.
Infectious diseases such as meningitis, viral encephalitis, AIDS, hypoglycemia, calcium and vitamin B6, can cause epilepsy. Autism and the development of some psychological problems also cause epilepsy.
Sudden deprivation of some pharmaceutical compounds causing muscle twitching, such as alcohol, barbiturates, morphine, and cocaine. This is called alcohol or morphine.
Pregnancy and childbirth injuries:
* In the fetus, the development of the brain before birth is prone to injuries that may occur if the pregnant mother does not corrode properly or smoke or use drugs or alcohol, because epilepsy is linked to areas in the brain, so if the neurons have developed incorrectly during pregnancy they may cause Cerebral palsy leads to epilepsy.
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