On World Epilepsy Day, February 10th, a spotlight is cast on epilepsy, a neurological disorder marked by abnormal brain waves that trigger recurrent seizures. With over 15 million people affected in India alone, experts stress the importance of raising awareness and ensuring timely intervention.
Epilepsy, the second most common neurological condition after headaches, imposes a burden not only on individuals and families but also on society and healthcare systems. Emphasizing the need for a multi-disciplinary approach and new-age treatments, medical professionals call for more effective strategies to manage this widespread condition.
“The signs and symptoms of a seizure vary, so you may not always know what to look for. In certain cases, this can even be seen as typical behavior. This might cause delays in the diagnosis and management of epilepsy,” shared Dr. Shivraj Hunge, Consultant-Neurologist at Jupiter Hospital.
Epilepsy is broadly divided into categories such as Generalized Epilepsy and Partial (Focal) Epilepsy. Genetic or birth defects, oxygen deprivation or hypoxic sequelae, genetics, brain infections, head injury, stroke, and brain tumors, among others, are the main causes of epilepsy.
“The physical signs and symptoms that might suggest that a person is suffering a seizure include excessive jerking or twitching in a single body area or throughout the body, unexpectedly plummeting down, exhibit blank stares or lacks awareness of surroundings, unnatural behavior, such as wandering,” added Dr. Shivraj.
Individuals with epilepsy may exhibit behaviors such as picking at nearby objects like clothing or air, or repeatedly smacking their lips. Verbal signs and symptoms of a seizure may include an unusual odor or foul taste on the tongue, tingling or numbness, or confusion.
Dr Praveen Gupta, Principal Director & Chief of Neurology, at Fortis Hospital, explained, “Anti-seizure drugs are one type of treatment option; however, it may take some time to discover the proper prescription and dosage. To treat the root causes of drug-resistant epilepsy, surgery is also being investigated to remove brain tumors. When the cause of seizures is unknown, deep brain stimulation, or DBS, may be necessary.”
Access to specialized Epilepsy Centers has a new momentum in combating epilepsy. There are several surgical options such as Resective surgery for removing the specific brain area responsible for seizures.
“We have now options like resective surgery, vagus nerve stimulation, and minimally invasive procedures, alongside advanced comprehensive diagnostic tools like high-density EEG and brain mapping for accurate localization of seizure foci; particularly in children; and advanced neuroimaging techniques like PET scans and MEG are used to further refine diagnosis and surgical planning,” said Dr. Madhukar Bharadwaj, Director, and HOD, Neurology, Aakash Healthcare, New Delhi.
Corpus callosotomy severs fibers in the corpus callosum to reduce seizure spread. Through Vagal Nerve Stimulation (VNS) a device to stimulate the vagus nerve is implanted to prevent seizures. Stereo-EEG is a minimally invasive technique to precisely locate the seizure origin with implanted electrodes.
Experts emphasized on multidisciplinary approach and cohesive collaboration between neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuropsychologists, and social workers to provide holistic care for epilepsy patients.
“Now neuro-robotic treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy offers big hope. This is an advanced procedure where neurosurgeons implant electrodes to pinpoint seizure origins, stimulating them for confirmation, and then ablating the faulty brain area. We believe this procedure can be a game changer in offering new and advanced treatment,” said Dr. Mukesh Pandey, Director & HOD of Neurosurgery at Asian Hospital.
India’s advanced Neuroscience Centres have been coming out with a groundbreaking treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy using an advanced neuro-robotic system that can precisely identify and eliminate seizure-triggering areas in the brain.
The advanced procedure is expected to offer new hope to millions of patients who do not respond to medication and are not suitable candidates for conventional surgery. Experts emphasized that creating awareness about the availability of advanced treatment is crucial.
