Epilepsy Causes, Symptoms and Prevention Tips for Your Child

Epilepsy is a mental disorder which triggers the tendency to have seizures. The tendencies of epilepsy are usually found in children or in elderly adults. There is no permanent cure to this but it can be controlled with the right strategy and medications.

Once it's diagnosed, it is generally attributed to some injury in the brain caused by various reasons. There are around 1.8 Lakh new cases of epilepsy each year.  And out of 1.8L, around 30% occur in children.

How Is Epilepsy Caused?

Epilepsy in the early age could be caused due to the following

• Low oxygen at the time of birth
• Head injuries that occur during birth or from accidents during early childhood.
• Brain tumors.
• Genetic conditions that may have resulted in brain injury. For instance, tuberous sclerosis.
• Infections such as meningitis or encephalitis
• Stroke or any other type of damage to the brain.
• Abnormal levels of substances such as sodium or blood sugar.

Prevention from Seizures During Epilepsy

Epilepsy once diagnosed can result in seizures but with proper medication and healthy strategy, seizures could be controlled significantly.  

• Once the medication has started do not miss the doses.
• Proper sleep time and hourly schedule of events during the entire day to ensure a healthy routine.
• Other drugs/medication that interfere with seizure medications. Keep a close eye on the medication and prescribed drugs. In case of any confusion please speak to your doctor.
• Stress, anxiety, or other emotional issues. Try to keep the environment peaceful especially if the child is having seizures which are triggered due to it.
• Alcohol or drug abuse.
• Ensuring that the child is not feeling very tired, or has significant sleep deprivation.
• Something that overstimulates the senses for instance lights that flash brightly, watching television, playing video or computer games, or working on a computer more than
• Mental strain, such as from solving complex mathematical problems etc.

Treatment of Epilepsy

Epilepsy has also attributed to disorder of genes but in most cases, it’s a disorder with no direct connection to any of the cause mentioned. There are prescribed dosages of various drugs to control seizures in epilepsy and once diagnosed your doctor will start the same basis the reports.

One can't always predict what will cause or trigger an epileptic seizure but as parents try to seek some correlation between certain behaviors leading to seizures. By taking steps to prevent it, you can minimize these factors up to a considerable extent and help your child lead a healthy life.