Diagnoses & Treatment

Seizure Diagnoses and Treatment Medical history Physical and neurological examination Accurate diagnosis is important Seizure description Medical history The physician will take a full medical history. Some of the things a physician will want to find out are: Have you had seizures in the past (if they were mild, you might not have reported them) Were there any problems at birth (e.g. premature birth, head trauma, lack of oxygen)? Have you had a head injury or an illness such as encephalitis or meningitis? Do you have migraines (sometimes migraines with aura can be confused with epilepsy)? Is there a history of epilepsy in your family? Are you drinking a lot of alcohol, or taking drugs that could cause a seizure? Physical and neurological examination A physical examination will check your general health and help to find any medical problem that might cause seizures. Samples of blood and urine may be taken and sent to the laboratory for testing. If the Neurologist or Physician suspects an infection or bleeding in the brain, you may be asked to have a lumbar puncture so that a sample of spinal fluid can be taken for tests. The Neurologist will carry out a neurological examination to test the nerves that control the senses (sight, touch, hearing, smell) and the nerves that lead to other parts of the body such as your arms or legs. Other tests can check your memory and concentration. Accurate seizure diagnosis is important It is important to make an accurate diagnosis of epilepsy to: Exclude other possible causes of seizures Find out the type of epilepsy Find a possible cause Identify seizure triggers Make decisions about treatment If the diagnosis is inaccurate the patient may be given the wrong or inadequate treatment with potentially serious consequences: Seizures are not controlled The underlying cause may be fatal if left untreated (e.g. a brain tumor) Some seizures can be made worse or new seizure types can occur if the wrong drug is given Seizure description Seizure frequency varies with the individual After someone has had a seizure the physician will want to know as much as possible about what happened. Because people who have had a seizure often can remember nothing about it, it is helpful to have a description from a relative or friend who saw the seizure. A full seizure description should include details of signs and symptoms (what other people saw and what you felt), when it happened, how long it lasted, how you felt afterwards, how often seizures have occurred, and whether there was a trigger. The Physician will try to find out what kind of seizure you experienced.

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