Understanding epilepsy
Twenty-seven-year-old Apple Valencia is a picture of a dynamic, happy individual with an incredible zest for life. She may sometimes come off as shy, but once you get to know her, she can be an engaging conversationalist. With such vibrancy and positive disposition in life, no one would even suspect that she’s in fact suffering from epilepsy.
Apple is just one of 820,000 Filipinos today suffering from epilepsy, which is caused by temporary electrical disturbance inside the brain. During an epileptic attack, a person’s movements, behavior or consciousness may be altered for a short time, after which he or she goes back to his or her former condition. This sudden change manifests as a seizure, and the word epilepsy is used when there are recurrent, unprovoked seizures.
According to the Philippine League Against Epilepsy (PLAE), epilepsy is the most common chronic brain disorder in every country in the world, with over 50 million people worldwide suffering from the condition. But while it is common, epilepsy remains the most misunderstood. The misconceptions surrounding it often disturb or frighten people, and these typical reactions make the person with epilepsy feel ashamed or withdraw from society.
In the case of Apple, who was diagnosed with epilepsy at the age of three, the reactions of people around her were more difficult to bear, more than the condition itself. “I became a loner when I was in school. Because of my condition, I didn’t get work right away after I graduated from college. When I landed my first job, I was eventually terminated when they found out about my condition.”
Such discrimination is often experienced by persons with epilepsy. But what most people don’t know is, epilepsy can happen to anyone. Dr. Madeleine Sosa, consultant in pediatric neurology at the Asian Hospital, explains, “Epilepsy is not a rare or exotic illness that is caused by witchcraft or supernatural forces. It is not a mental illness and definitely not contagious. Epilepsy can happen to anyone so it should be everyone’s concern.”
Epilepsy can be a symptom of a disease, rather than a disease itself, adds Dr. Sosa. It can be caused by congenital maldevelopment, perinatal injury, or infantile spasms in children, or head injury, brain infections, strokes, brain tumors, drugs and alcohol, and chemical imbalances in adolescents and adults. Epilepsy can also have no identifiable cause or can be caused by genetic/hereditary predisposition.
In the treatment of epilepsy, the person should develop important habits to control seizure. Dr. Bernadette Terencio, also a consultant on pediatric neurology at Asian Hospital and Medical Center, says, “Medications should be taken regularly to control seizure. The person with epilepsy should also maintain a regular doctor-patient relationship, avoid things that can trigger a seizure, keep a seizure diary, teach family members first-aid treatment in case of a seizure attack, and most importantly, take care of his or her overall health.”
To know more about epilepsy, call the Asian Hospital and Medical Center at 771-9000 to 02 or visit its website at www.asianhospital.com.
