What makes a seizure intractable?
What makes a seizure intractable?
Intractable epilepsy is diagnosed when someone has had years of uncontrolled seizures. This means medication no longer works well enough to control their episodes, and their seizures are frequent, severe, and affecting their quality of life.
What is refractory seizure disorder?
What Is Refractory Epilepsy? If your doctor says you have refractory epilepsy, it means that medicine isn’t bringing your seizures under control. You might hear the condition called by some other names, such as uncontrolled, intractable, or drug-resistant epilepsy.
How are intractable seizures treated?
What approaches can be used to treat intractable seizures?
- Epilepsy surgery.
- Neurostimulation devices.
- Dietary therapy.
- Experimental trials.
What are the signs and symptoms of intractable epilepsy?
The main symptoms of intractable epilepsy are continuing seizures even when taking anti-seizure drugs . Seizures will vary in intensity and frequency and can last minutes or seconds.
What happens to the brain with refractory epilepsy?
Research and studies shows that refractory seizures can cause severe brain injury such as physiological dysfunction and nerve cell death. But seizures or convulsions are only part of the problem. In addition to convulsions, people with refractory or intractable epilepsy also suffer from various non-physical disabilities.
What are the signs of a focal aware seizure?
These seizures may have an aura (or warning, which technically is itself a focal aware seizure). These seizures include automatisms (such as lip smacking, picking at clothes, fumbling), becoming unaware of surroundings, and wandering.
Is it intolerable to have a grand mal seizure?
The amount of seizures considered intolerable reliant on the patient’s lifestyle, the nature of the seizures and the consequences of such intolerable seizures. Continuing to experience grand mal or tonic-clonic seizures despite the necessary treatment, otherwise defined as refractory or intractable epilepsy, becomes debility.
The main symptoms of intractable epilepsy are continuing seizures even when taking anti-seizure drugs . Seizures will vary in intensity and frequency and can last minutes or seconds.
Can a person with refractory epilepsy have a seizure?
About 1 in 3 people with epilepsy will develop it. The symptoms of refractory epilepsy are seizures despite taking anti-seizure medication. Your seizures could take different forms and last from a few seconds to a few minutes. You may have convulsions, which means you can’t stop your body from shaking. When you have a seizure, you may also:
What does it look like when you have an absence seizure?
Someone having an absence seizure may look like he or she is staring blankly into space for a few seconds. Then, there is a quick return to a normal level of alertness. This type of seizure usually doesn’t lead to physical injury. Absence seizures usually can be controlled with anti-seizure medications.
What happens when you take antiepilepsy and still have seizures?
If you still have seizures while you’re taking an antiepilepsy drug, you may have refractory epilepsy. If you have refractory epilepsy, the type of seizures you have may affect your treatment. Seizures may be: Primary generalized. This means they involve a lot of your brain tissue on both sides of your brain.