Don’t discriminate epileptic patients’

Bengaluru Express
Bengaluru, Feb. 12: Patients of any age can suffer from epilepsy. However, the key is that it is time for the parents to act swiftly and contact the neurology department for quick treatment of epilepsy as well as for the society to not to stigmatise the patients suffering from epilepsy and instead provide them adequate support to overcome the disease.

Despite being one of the world’s oldest known medical conditions, public fear and misunderstanding about epilepsy persist, making many people reluctant to talk about it. That reluctance leads to lives lived in the shadows, lack of understanding about individual risk, discrimination, and a lack of funding for new therapies research. People with epilepsy die prematurely at a higher rate compared to the general population. The most common cause of death from epilepsy is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy, known as SUDEP.

Dr Pratham Bysani, Senior Consultant and Neurosureon, Vasavi Hospitals said, “It is important to understand the cause of your seizures to identify the type of epilepsy and the best treatment. Usually doctors prescribe anti-seizure medicine or other treatment, if needed. The most common treatments for epilepsy are medicine, surgical procedures, seizure devices, and a special diet. Anti-seizure medicines limit the spread of seizures in the brain. Sometimes there is a need for a combination of medicines. It’s very important to take your medicine as prescribed. When seizures come from a single area of the brain (focal seizures), surgery might be helpful. Removing the affected area may stop future seizures or make them easier to control with medicine.”

For many people living with epilepsy, the misconceptions and discrimination can be more difficult to overcome than the seizures themselves. This is the reason why International Epilepsy Day is organised on February 10 as an awareness-raising initiative. Doctors say that Epilepsy is more than just seizures and so, this EpilepsyDay, doctors are asking people with epilepsy and those who care for them to share their unmet, everyday needs on their individual Epilepsy Journey. Started in 2015 and organized by the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), the day provides a platform for people with epilepsy to share their experiences and stories with a global audience. The day also calls for all people to advocate for appropriate legislation that will guarantee human rights of people with epilepsy and encourages people with epilepsy to live to their fullest potential.

The International Epilepsy Day seeks to raise awareness and educate the general public on the facts about epilepsy and the urgent need for improved treatment, better care, and greater investment in research. “Currently, the need is to raise awareness of the disease at international and government level as well as in the general public. There is a need to strengthen the epilepsy movement by uniting epilepsy associations in a worldwide campaign to raise visibility on epilepsy and encourage discussion about epilepsy and to provide epilepsy associations with a significant fundraising opportunity” said Dr Pratham Bysani.

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