H'E.A.R.O'
Helping spread 'Epilepsy Awareness by Reaching Out'I HAVE SET UP THIS PROFILE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT EPILEPSY IN AN ENDEAVOUR TO SPREAD AWARENESS ABOUT THE CONDITION.THIS IS AN EPILEPSY INFORMATION PROFILE ONLY. I WILL BE UPDATING REGULARLY AND WILL ONLY BE INCLUDING RELIABLE INFORMATION.*********************************************SOM
E FACTS ABOUT EPILEPSY
Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurrent seizures.There are around 40 different types of seizure and a
person may have more than one type.
Epilepsy can affect anyone, at any age and from any walk of life.
456,000 or one in every 131 people in the UK has epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a neurological condition.
Only 52 per cent of people with epilepsy in the UK are seizure-free. It is estimated that 70 per cent could be seizure free with the right treatment.
One in 20 people will have a single seizure at some time in their life.
Many people who develop epilepsy below the age of 20 will ‘grow out of it' in adult life.
Many people with epilepsy are still discriminated against due to ignorance about the condition.
Epilepsy is covered by the Disability Discrimination Act.
The vast majority of people with epilepsy can take part in the same activities as everyone else, with the help of simple safety measures where appropriate.
People who have been seizure free for a year can re-apply for their driving licence.INFORMATION TAKEN FROM
websiteEpilepsy helpline
0808 800 5050 (UK)
[email protected]************************************
*****SEIZURE TYPES & FIRST AIDTonic-Clonic seizures
What might happen
The person loses consciousness, the body stiffens, then falls to the ground. This is followed by jerking movements. A blue tinge around the mouth is likely, due to irregular breathing. Loss of bladder and/or bowel control may occur. After a minute or two the jerking movements should stop and consciousness slowly returns.DO...
Protect the person from injury - (remove harmful objects from nearby)
Cushion their head
Look for an epilepsy identity card or identity jewellery
Aid breathing by gently placing them in the recovery
position once the seizure has finished
Be calmly reassuring
Stay with the person until recovery is complete
DON'T...
Restrain the person
Put anything in the person’s mouth
Try to move the person unless they are in danger
Give the person anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered
Attempt to bring them round
Call for an ambulance if...You believe it to be the person’s first seizure
The seizure continues for more than five minutes
One tonic-clonic seizure follows another without the person regaining consciousness between seizures
The person is injured during the seizure
What might happenSIMPLE PARTIAL SEIZURESTwitching, numbness, sweating, dizziness or nausea; disturbances to hearing, vision, smell or taste; a strong sense of deja vu.COMPLES PARTIAL SEIZURESPlucking at clothes, smacking lips, swallowing repeatedly or wandering around. The person is not aware of their surroundings or of what they are doing.ATONIC SEIZURESSudden loss of muscle control causing the person to fall to the ground. Recovery is quick.MYOCLONIC SEIZURESBrief forceful jerks which can affect the whole body or just part of it. The jerking could be severe enough to make the person fall.ABSENCE SEIZURESThe person may appear to be daydreaming or switching off. They are momentarily unconscious and totally unaware of what is happening around them.DO...Guide the person from danger
Look for an epilepsy identity card or identity jewellery
Stay with the person until recovery is complete
Be calmly reassuring
Explain anything that they may have missed
DON'T...Restrain the person
Act in a way that could frighten them, such as making abrupt movements or shouting at them
Assume the person is aware of what is happening, or what has happened
Give the person anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered
Attempt to bring them round
Call for an ambulance if...One seizure follows another without the person regaining awareness between them
The person is injured during the seizure
You believe the person needs urgent medical attention
STATUS EPILEPTICUSStatus epilepticus is a term used to describe a single prolonged seizure, or a series of seizures which happen with no recovery in between. If the seizure or series of seizures lasts for more than thirty minutes, it is described as status epilepticus.
Any type of seizure may develop into status epilepticus but few do. It is a rare event. There are two kinds of status epilepticus. Tonic-clonic seizures lead to convulsive status epilepticus, which is the most serious form. The other type is non-convulsive status epilepticus and is associated with absence and complex partial seizures. Non-convulsive status epilepticus needs medical attention but is not an emergency in the same way as convulsive status epilepticus. Convulsive status epilepticus is a medical and neurological emergency and urgent medical treatment is needed to stop the seizures.
Some children have medicine prescribed for this emergency, such as rectal diazepam or buccal midazolam. Both of these are relatively simple to administer by a properly trained and willing person. Training in how to administer the medication can often be organised by the local health authority, and should always be given by health professionals such as an epilepsy specialist doctor or nurse.ABOVE INFORMATION TAKEN FROM THE EPILEPSY ACTION WEBSITE
www.epilepsy.org.uk
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