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Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

Individuals with epilepsy can lead full, regular lives, including having children, an active social life and a rewarding career, although it is important for their health that they seek and receive appropriate care on a timely basis, says an expert from global health system Cleveland Clinic. His message reflects the focus of International Epilepsy Day (February 12) organIsers to support efforts by the World Health Organization to close existing inclusion and treatment gaps.

Around 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally, according to the World Health Organization. The condition is characterised by periodic and involuntary seizures, ranging from mild to severe, and if these are diagnosed and controlled, epilepsy patients can lead a full, healthy life, says Dr Imad Najm, MD, Director of the Epilepsy Centre at the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute.

"It is important to dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding epilepsy as these could cause individuals with the condition to face prejudice at school, work and in social environments, and it could even prevent them from seeking the care that they need, or discourage them from taking prescribed medications,” said Dr. Najm. "This is concerning as uncontrolled seizures impact negatively on a person’s health and damage the affected neurons in the brain. In addition, without treatment, people who have seizures could fall, drown, have accidental burns, or even suffer sudden unexpected and early deaths.”

Dr. Najm adds that misperceptions about what a seizure looks like could also lead to individuals dismissing mild seizures or being misdiagnosed when seeking help.

Dr Imad Najm

"While people might expect someone with epilepsy to have convulsions and foam from the mouth, most seizures are subtle. For example, a seizure might present as prolonged staring and rapid eye blinking; unusual behaviour with chewing movements or hand-picking movements; a strong feeling of déjà vu; or having either rigid or overly relaxed muscles. It is much rarer to see jerking of the arms, legs, or head, falling down or loss of consciousness,” he says.

Fortunately, diagnosing epilepsy can be quick and easy, Dr. Najm says. The diagnosis can be done through an electroencephalogram (EEG) test that records the brain’s electrical activity, and the possible cause of the disease may be assessed through a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan.

A medication with the generic name cenobamate, which was approved by the FDA in the US in 2019, has shown to be effective in 20-30% of those patients for whom multiple other medications have failed, says Dr. Najm.

If patients’ seizures cannot be controlled by medications, the solution might lie in surgery, with many more patients now regarded as surgical candidates than in decades past, Dr. Najm adds.