Kims Oman Hospital offers comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy

MUSCAT: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, which causes people to have recurrent seizures. It is not contagious, nor a mental illness.

One in 26 people may develop epilepsy at some point in their life. Epilepsy affects all people be it children or adults, men or women. While it is most often diagnosed during childhood or after the age of 65, it can occur at any age.

Kims Oman Hospital has a well-equipped epilepsy clinic with a dedicated team of doctors who offer a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy, which enables patients to live and function independently in all aspects of their life including home, work and community than previously thought possible.

“It is important to have an open and comfortable relationship with the neurologist and to share the condition with close friends or relatives, so that in the event of a seizure, others may be aware and prepared.

“To be able to function normally in day-to-day tasks including employment, one should be consistent with medication, track seizures, figure out what triggers them, and work with a support team including family, friends and a health care team,” said Dr Santhosh Kumar Balagopal, senior consultant in Neurology at Kims Oman Hospital.

Dr Santhosh who has MBBS, MD, DM, MRCP (UK), CSCN (C) has 23 years of experience in neurology and specialises in epilepsy and stroke medicine. He has served as a senior consultant in the Royal and Sohar hospitals under MOH, Oman.

The known causes of epilepsy are due to head injuries, brain infections, strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, malformation of the brain or genetic factors. Eyewitness accounts of a person’s seizures can be very useful information for the doctor to determine the type of seizure(s) one may have. Methods that help diagnose epilepsy include neurological examinations such as EEGs, CT scans MRIs and blood tests.

There are several types of seizures, which, may be classified into groups known as generalised and focal onset. Some types include tonic-clonic, absence, atonic, impaired awareness, aware and myoclonic. Symptoms may involve convulsions, jerking of the entire body, sudden collapsing, blank stares and chewing motions. Other symptoms include dazed facial expressions, being unaware of the surroundings, repetitive movements and confusion.

There are currently more than 25 approved medications, which help control epilepsy. Seven in 10 people respond well to one or more of these medications. Most women with epilepsy have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies; however, medication may cause defects in the fetus.

Women planning to become pregnant should first consult with a physician. Most children will not develop epilepsy if a parent has it. The risk of a child having unprovoked seizures is 1-2% in the general population and approximately 6% if a parent has epilepsy.

Treatments for refractory epilepsy include surgery: removing the affected area without affecting the vital functions, or through vagus nerve stimulation (VNS): implanting a small device under the skin on the left side of the chest where an electrode connects from the device and attaches to the vagus nerve in the neck. With these treatments, about 5 out of 10 people may see a decrease in seizures by at least 50%. Another form of treatment is by responsive neurostimulation (RNS): placing a device in the bone surrounding the brain, which sends pulses of electrical current to reduce seizure activity. Here seizures are reduced by 40 to 60%.