什么是癫痫病？

全球约有五千万人患有癫痫病（1）。每年在美国诊断出15万新的癫痫病例（2）。这种神经系统疾病导致受影响的个体反复发作。

您是否经常发现自己呆呆地呆呆地呆在太空中，或者是癫痫发作导致您反复抽动手臂/腿？尽管癫痫发作可以以多种方式表现出来，但绝对不能忽略。如果您想知道是什么原因导致癫痫和癫痫发作以及如何治疗这种情况，请继续阅读。

目录

• 什么是癫痫病？
• 什么是癫痫发作？
• 癫痫的体征和症状
• 什么原因导致癫痫病？
• 风险因素
• 什么时候去看医生
• 癫痫病如何诊断？
• 如何治疗癫痫
• 如何自然应对癫痫发作
• 哪些食物对癫痫病有好处？

什么是癫痫病？

癫痫病是一种常见的神经系统疾病，会导致大脑活动异常并引起癫痫发作。这种中枢神经系统疾病会触发不正常的行为和感觉，在某些情况下甚至会导致意识丧失。

您大脑的神经细胞通常受到感染并引起癫痫发作。癫痫症状可能因人而异。有些人在发作时可能会茫然地凝视，而另一些人可能会反复抽动手臂或腿。

但是，如果您一次癫痫发作，并不意味着您患有癫痫病。

医生通常根据脑部异常活动的开始将癫痫发作分为两种类型。

什么是癫痫发作？

癫痫发作通常分为两种类型（3）。它们包括：

1.局部发作

当由于大脑仅一个区域的异常活动而导致癫痫发作时，它们被称为局灶性癫痫发作。这些癫痫发作进一步分为两类：

• 不失去意识的局灶性癫痫发作–过去被称为简单的部分性癫痫发作。这种癫痫发作只会改变情绪或感觉，就像事物的气味，外观，味道，声音或感觉一样。它们还可以引起身体部位的非自愿性抽搐，但不会引起意识丧失。
• 意识或意识受损的局灶性癫痫发作-它们被称为复杂的部分性癫痫发作。它们涉及意识或意识的改变或丧失。在这种癫痫发作中，受影响的人可能呆呆地盯着太空，而对周围的环境没有正常反应。受影响的人还可能进行重复性的动作，例如擦手，吞咽，咀嚼或围圈走路。

大多数情况下，局灶性癫痫发作的症状与其他神经系统疾病（例如发作性睡病，偏头痛或精神疾病）相混淆。全面的测试将有助于证明否则。

2.全身性发作

似乎影响大脑几乎所有区域的癫痫发作被称为全身性癫痫发作。它们分为六种类型：

• 缺席性癫痫发作–过去被称为小发作。这种类型的儿童发生在儿童中，其特征是盯着空间或微妙的动作，例如sm嘴或眨眼。它们成群出现，可能会导致短暂的意识丧失。
• 进补性癫痫发作-引起肌肉僵硬，通常会影响背部，手臂和腿部的肌肉，这也可能导致您跌倒在地。
• 失音性癫痫发作-也称为跌落性癫痫发作。这种癫痫发作可能会导致失去肌肉控制，这可能导致受影响的个体突然掉下或脸朝下塌陷。
• 阵挛性癫痫发作–与肌肉反复或有节奏的抽搐运动有关，这些运动往往会影响颈部，面部和手臂。
• 肌阵挛性癫痫发作-这种类型的发作会导致您的胳膊和腿突然突然抽搐或抽搐。
• 强直性癫痫发作–以前被称为大发作。这种类型是癫痫发作最剧烈的类型。它可能会导致意识突然丧失，身体僵硬和晃动，在某些情况下还会导致膀胱控制功能丧失或舌头咬伤。

3.癫痫（或未知痉挛）

这种癫痫发作的起源仍然是未知的，并且通常通过四肢突然扩展来表现出来。这种癫痫发作也倾向于成簇地再次发生。

到目前为止，您必须已经了解癫痫病的主要症状是癫痫发作，其症状可能因类型而异。

癫痫的体征和症状

反复发作是癫痫病的主要症状。癫痫发作可以通过以下方式表现出来：

• 暂时的困惑
• 意识/意识丧失
• 凝视咒语，使受影响的人茫然地凝视进入太空
• 抽搐
• 手臂和/或腿的非自愿抽搐
• 精神病性症状，例如恐惧，焦虑或似曾相识
• 突然跌倒

在大约一半的受影响人群中，尚未找到癫痫的确切原因。但是，在另一半中，可能是以下原因造成的。

什么原因导致癫痫病？

癫痫病的常见原因可能包括（4）：

• 遗传学–病情的家族史
• 受伤造成的头部受伤
• 脑部疾病，例如脑瘤和中风
• 脑膜炎，艾滋病和病毒性脑炎等传染病
• 产前受伤可能导致脑瘫或癫痫
• 自闭症和神经纤维瘤病等发育障碍

一些因素也可能使您更容易患上癫痫病。

风险因素

可能增加患癫痫病风险的因素包括（5）：

• 年龄–尽管癫痫病可以发生在任何年龄，但在儿童和老年人中更常见。
• 遗传-该病的家族病史会增加您患癫痫病的机会。
• 头部受伤
• 痴呆症–可能增加老年人癫痫的风险。
• 早产
• 儿童期癫痫病–那些在儿童期长期发作的人患癫痫病的风险增加。

什么时候去看医生

如果出现以下情况，您必须立即去看医生：

• 您的癫痫发作持续了超过5分钟，并且发生了不止一次。
• 第二次发作紧随第二次发作。
• 即使癫痫发作停止，意识和/或呼吸也不会恢复。
• 你发高烧。
• 您会因为高温而感到筋疲力尽。
• 你怀孕了。
• 你有糖尿病。
• 您在癫痫发作时受伤了。

您去看医生后，他们可能会通过以下分析和测试来帮助您诊断病情。

癫痫病如何诊断？

要诊断癫痫病，您的医生可能会首先检查您的病史和症状。他们可能还会要求您参加以下测试（6）：

• 神经学检查，以测试您的行为，运动能力，心理功能以及其他类似方面，以确定您患有癫痫的类型。
• 血液检查以寻找可能导致癫痫发展的感染迹象，遗传状况或其他健康问题。
• 为了检测脑部异常，您的医生可能还会建议您进行脑电图（EEG），高密度脑电图，计算机断层扫描（CT）扫描，磁共振成像（MRI）和功能性MRI（fMRI）等检查。
• 除了这些测试，您的医生还可以结合使用统计技术参数分析（SPM），咖喱分析和脑磁图（MEG）等分析技术来确定大脑中可能开始发作的区域。

一旦测试表明诊断阳性，您的医生可能会根据您癫痫的类型开出以下任何治疗方法。

如何治疗癫痫

医生通常从药物开始治疗癫痫。大多数经历癫痫发作的个体都可以服用一种抗癫痫药，以免于癫痫发作。这样的药物通常也被称为抗癫痫药。

寻找正确的剂量和药物可能很困难，但是您的医生会帮助您。他们很可能会从低剂量的单一药物开始，然后逐渐增加剂量，直到症状得到很好控制（7）。

如果药物不能帮助控制癫痫症状，您的医生将继续进行下一个选择–手术。癫痫手术通常旨在去除引起癫痫发作的大脑区域（7）。

手术后，患者可能仍必须服用小剂量的抗癫痫药，以防止癫痫发作再次发生。在某些情况下，手术还可能导致思维能力永久改变。因此，建议您在选择手术前与医生谈谈他们的经验，成功率以及所涉及的并发症。

癫痫手术的一些替代疗法包括：

• 使用迷走神经刺激器刺激迷走神经
• 遵循高脂肪，低碳水化合物的生酮饮食
• 使用植入式电极进行深部脑刺激
• 应对和支持–受影响的人可以参加为癫痫患者发起的支持小组，与患有相同疾病的其他人分享他们的感受。

There are also a few natural ways that can help control the recurring seizures. The below remedies can assist ongoing medications to give better results.

How To Cope With Seizures Naturally

1. Coconut Oil
2. Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil
3. Vitamins

Natural Ways To Cope With Seizures

1. Coconut Oil

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You Will Need

Coconut oil (as required)

What You Have To Do

1. Replace refined oils with coconut oil for cooking.
2. You can also add coconut oil to your favorite dishes and salads.

How Often You Should Do This

You can do this on a regular basis.

Why This Works

The powerful antioxidant properties of the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil were found to be effective in managing pharmacoresistant epilepsy (8).

2. Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil

Shutterstock

You Will Need

10 mg of pharmaceutical grade cannabidiol

What You Have To Do

1. Take 10 mg of pharmaceutical grade cannabidiol daily.
2. Consult a doctor before taking it.

How Often You Should Do This

You may do this once daily.

Why This Works

Individuals who did not exhibit any improvement in their seizures after taking antiepileptics showed notable improvement in their seizures on using cannabidiol as an adjunctive (9).

3. Vitamins

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Vitamins E, B6, and D3 have been observed to improve the symptoms of epilepsy.

Deficiencies in vitamin B6 can trigger seizures, and restoring the levels might help in preventing or treating them (10).

The anticonvulsant effect of vitamin D3 can also help in managing the symptoms of seizures associated with epilepsy (11).

The co-administration of vitamin E along with antiepileptic drugs can also help improve seizures (12).

Foods rich in these vitamins include poultry, fish, eggs, nuts, and green vegetables. If you want to take additional supplements for any of these vitamins, make sure to consult your doctor.

Your diet also plays an important role in helping you manage epilepsy. Here’s how it can help.

What Foods Are Good For Epilepsy?

Dietitians often recommend a low-carb and high-fat diet to reduce the incidence of epilepsy seizures. Some individuals who have epilepsy are resistant to anti-seizure drugs. Ketogenic and modified Atkins diets are prescribed to such individuals (13).

Here’s what you need to eat and avoid.

What To Eat

• Bacon
• Eggs
• Mayonnaise
• Butter
• Hamburgers
• Heavy cream
• Certain fruits and vegetables
• Nuts
• Cheese
• Fish

What Not To Eat

• Refined carbohydrates with high glycemic levels like pizza, soft drinks, white rice/pasta, cakes, bagels, and chips (14).
• Certain fruits and vegetables with a high glycemic index like mangoes, raisins, bananas, mashed potatoes, and dates (14).
• Gingko biloba – Some individuals are known to take gingko biloba supplements to help with the symptoms of epilepsy. However, this plant extract is known to interact with anticonlvulsant medications, thereby triggering seizures (15).
• Alcohol

Remember, you must seek medical help to recover from epilepsy successfully. The above tips and remedies should only be used in conjunction with ongoing treatments. Also, it is best to consult your doctor before following any of the above remedies to make sure that none of them interfere with your ongoing medical treatment.

Epilepsy does not have to deter you from leading a normal life. With proper care and by paying attention to your diet, you can combat this condition rather easily. Was this article helpful? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Expert’s Answers For Readers’ Questions

Is exercising good for epilepsy?

Lack of exercise has been linked to symptoms of epilepsy, like anxiety and depression. Hence, exercising is good for those who have epilepsy. It can also improve seizure control.

Can you get disability from epilepsy?

Yes, epilepsy can cause disability if the seizures are severe and frequent and end up interfering with your day-to-day activities.

Can epilepsy change your personality?

Yes, epilepsy is associated with changes in cognitive abilities, personality, and other behavioral elements.

What is the best vitamin for epilepsy?

Vitamins B6 and E were found to improve seizure symptoms. Vitamin B6 is used to treat a rare form of epilepsy known as pyridoxine-dependent seizure. This type usually develops in the womb or right after birth and is caused by the body’s inability to metabolize vitamin B6.

Can epilepsy kill you?

In rare cases, the affected individual might die suddenly for no clear reason. In such cases, it is called Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (or SUDEP). It could be that the individual died during or after a seizure.

What is intractable epilepsy?

If someone has been experiencing seizures for years without being able to control them, the condition is referred to as intractable epilepsy.

References

1. “Epilepsy” World Health Organization.
2. “Epilepsy Across the Spectrum: Promoting Health and Understanding.” National Academy of Science, US National Library of Medicine.
3. “Seizure, Simple Partial” StatPearls, US National Library of Medicine.
4. “The Neurobiology of Epilepsy” Current Neurology And Neuroscience Reports, US National Library of Medicine.
5. “3 Epidemiology and Prevention” National Academy of Sciences, US National Library of Medicine.
6. “Seizures and Epilepsy: An Overview for Neuroscientists” Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, US National Library of Medicine.
7. “Current treatments of epilepsy.” Neurology, US National Library of Medicine.
8. “Effects of ketogenic diets on the occurrence of pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus of rats.” Metabolic Brain Disease, US National Library of Medicine.
9. “Efficacy and Safety of Cannabidiol in Epilepsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” Drugs, US National Library of Medicine.
10. “Vitamin B(6) treatment of intractable seizures” Brain and Development, US National Library of Medicine.
11. “Vitamin D3 for the Treatment of Epilepsy: Basic Mechanisms, Animal Models, and Clinical Trials” Frontiers in Neurology, US National Library of Medicine.
12. “Effects of Vitamin E on seizure frequency, electroencephalogram findings, and oxidative stress status of refractory epileptic patients” Advanced Biomedical Research, US National Library of Medicine.
13. “The Ketogenic and Atkins Diets Effect on Intractable Epilepsy: A Comparison” Iranian Journal of Child Neurology, US National Library of Medicine.
14. “Efficacy of low glycemic index treatment in epileptic patients: a systematic review.” Acta Neurologica Belgica, US National Library of Medicine.
15. “Fatal seizures due to potential herb-drug interactions with Ginkgo biloba.”

    Journal of analytical toxicology, US National Library of Medicine.