Epilepsy is distributed almost equally between males and females

While epilepsy can begin at any time in the course of a person’s life, typically epilepsy is first diagnosed during childhood and of all , in the first year of life . approximately 140 of 100,000 infants younger than one have epilepsy diagnosed each year. The number drops to around 40 adults per 100,000. Recent reports have revealed that epilepsy is growing in older individuals which account for about a quarter in all diagnoses according to a study from the National Society for Epilepsy. Epilepsy is twice as common among older individuals than within the general people in general.

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It could be more prevalent than it is reported as a large portion may not be recognized. The diagnosis of epilepsy in older adults can be a challenge. The majority of the time, the seizures aren’t severe and while this is an excellent sign of control, it could be a sign that it’s hard to recognize them for what they really are. Aunt Alice’s daydreaming, or Gran’s “funny turn” could be part of the family’s folklore and are certainly not considered as medically relevant. We generally expect illnesses and apathy in people who are older as part of the norm. But, epilepsy that occurs in later life might be one of the most avoidable manifestations of the disease. As we age the more susceptible we become to less health and fitness, however particularly, epilepsy in an older person is usually caused by cerebrovascular diseases that causes small scars to the brain. The risk of developing epilepsy in people who are older can be decreased by paying care for their lifestyle, which includes regular exercise, healthy diet as well as not smoking and drinking alcohol in moderate amounts. Being aware of your lifestyle can help individuals of any vârstă achieve better seizure control and improve overall health and can also stop your epilepsy from becoming worse with the advancing years.

Epilepsy is distributed almost equally between males and females, although certain epilepsy-related disorders are seen predominantly in females. Epilepsy is a little more prevalent among males and there are many reasons for why this is the case. One reason is that males are more susceptible to suffering head injuries and brain infections. One theory states that brains of girl and boy babies are different in the womb because of gender differences in sexual hormones. The brain develops faster in female babies than male ones, which means the girls will be less prone to the perinatal anoxia (lack of oxygen in the first few days of the time of birth) that can cause damage to the developing brain regions. The Y chromosome, which causes maleness in newborn babies slows development , which means that boys have 2 to 3 weeks behind in maturation than girls, making them more prone to injuries. This risk persists throughout adulthood. One study found that in women, 50% of the chance of developing epilepsy had passed at the age of 19 but in males the risk was lower until they reached the age of at the age of 24. The risk of developing epilepsy is believed to exceed men’s larger brain size. Another study revealed how the brains of both men and women are identical size at 100 years old, after they have both shrunk enough for them to be comparable! There is evidence to suggest that the prognosis or outlook for epilepsy is significantly worse for women and it’s been suggested that this could be because the brains of women are stronger and a more serious event is required to trigger epilepsy. However, in reality the majority of these distinctions are minor – and every person suffering from epilepsy is a unique instance, and must be treated as such.

Despite its prevalence, epilepsy, which is traditionally considered to be the “Cinderella” of health care is not a major source of research funds – out of the annual PS2 billion budget for medical research just PS336,000 goes to epilepsy. This is lower than PS1 for each person suffering from epilepsy and not in a favorable way to like the PS250 per person suffering from muscular dystrophy, and PS140 per person suffering from multiple sclerosis.

Recent surveys of healthcare administrators in the UK found that only 5 percent had established guidelines for the treatment of epilepsy. However, this is likely to be changing as epilepsy gains more public attention and media coverage that is now happening – in the last few years. in the opinion of the National Society for Epilepsy, epilepsy has been a ‘interesting subject due to studies on genetics and the latest brain scanning methods provide more insight into epilepsy.