Neuroscientists discuss epilepsy with patients

PATNA: The 16th annual conference of the Association of Neuroscientists of Eastern India (Aneicon 2002) invited patients, in particular, and public, in general, this time, for an interaction. A symposium on the topic "Epilepsy and patients" was organised by the association on the eve of the conference on Thursday.
The interactive symposium was inaugurated by Dr Shakil Ahmed.70 patients and more than 300 people participated in the symposium to discuss epilepsy, its causes and treatment with Dr Ajay Kumar Singh of Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences, Patna, and Dr Binay Karak of NMCH, Patna. Karak, during his speech on the occasion, defined the terms seizure, epilepsy and convulsions. He said that seizure is cerebral dysfunction due to paroxysmal excessive electrical discharge from the neurons and epilepsy happens to be the tendency of getting recurrent unprovoked seizure. He said that convulsion happens to be seizure with motor component. He said that there are two types of seizure — partial and generalised.
Speaking about causes of epilepsy, he said that decrease in sugar, sodium, calcium and potassium in blood causes epilepsy in neo-natal stage and head injury during delivery also causes epilepsy among the neo-natals, said Karak. Other causes of epilepsy among this group of patients include lack of oxygen and hereditary factors also lead to maldevelopment of brain. Febrile convulsion is found in the patients coming under the age group of 3 months to 6 years age group.
In the patients of the age group of 6 years and above, up to middle age, the cause happens generally to be of hereditary nature and infections like tuberculoma and cysticerosis, said Karak. Stroke and brain tumour happen to be the cause of epilepsy in general among the old age patients. Symptoms of epilepsy are generally loss of consciousness, tonic-clonic attacks and frothing, Karak said.
Dr Ajay K Singh said that diagnosis of the epileptic patients must be done on the basis of history provided preferably by eye-witnesses present while the patients had seizure. He said that treatment of epileptic patients could check recurrence and the epileptic patients must avoid sleep deprivation, alcohol intake, and activities like driving, swimming, piloting etc. He said that there is no need to ban marriage of epileptic patients.
Continuing Medical Education programme for the delegates was formally inaugurated by health secretary Afzal Amanullah on Friday morning. In this session Dr Manas Ghosal, Kolkata, spoke on the topic "Control systems for ocular movements in brainstem and their disorders" and Dr Chitra Sarkar, New Delhi, talked about the genes responsible for brain tumour. Chief Justice R S Dhavan inaugurated the cultural programme.