The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Accident-related epilepsy cases on the rise in State

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Accident-related epilepsy cases on the rise in State

Staff Reporter

Wearing of helmets can reduce cases, say experts

KOCHI : Head injury-related seizures are high in the State as wearing helmets is not compulsory for a two-wheeler rider, according to neurologists and epilepsy experts.

Epilepsy related to accidents has been on the rise as the number of accidents has also increased. Stroke-related epilepsy is also on the rise.

Experts, who participated in a public awareness programme on epilepsy here on Saturday, pointed out the importance of wearing helmets and addressing risk factors of stroke like obesity and high blood pressure.

About 70 per cent of the patients with epilepsy due to various other reasons could be successfully treated with simple anti-epileptic drugs, said the neurologists.

Some cases might require multiple-drug treatment and if that failed a surgical treatment could be opted. Neurologist B. Rajendran said that prevalence of epilepsy was about 5-6 per 1,000 across the globe. However, a perception that cases of epilepsy was high in Kerala might be because of better healthcare awareness of the people here, he said.

Organised by the Indian Epilepsy Association, Kochi branch, and Cochin Neurological Society, the panellists who participated in the programme were Ashok Menon from Little Flower Hospital, John K. John from Kolencherry Medical College, D. Parameswaran from Indo-American Hospital and Murali Krishna Menon from Lakeshore Hospital.

There are different types of epilepsy. Idiopathic epilepsies are those for which there is no know cause, said Dr. Rajendran. The secondary epilepsies are those for which the cause is known. It may happen in a person with brain tumour or a mentally challenged person.

For a doctor to properly diagnose the nature of epilepsy, a witness is needed to describe the seizure, said the experts. A surgical evaluation is necessary when drugs do not control it. However, it is a long process, which needs to be done patiently to arrive at a correct assessment. The experts opined that surgery is a worthwhile option since each seizure damages some of the brain cells completely.

There is no bar on achievement for epileptic patients, said Dr. Rajendran.

Alfred Noble and Tony Greg are just two names from a long list of people with epilepsy who have excelled in their chosen profession, he said.

A continuing medical education was also held on the occasion, which was attended by about 100 doctors. P. Satish Chandran, Professor, NIMHANS, delivered the K.S. Mani Memorial Oration, during the meeting.

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