Can Epilepsy Sufferers Be Completely Cured?

 

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder. This causes repeated seizures, which are sudden jolts of electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy is a complex and often difficult to treat for many people diagnosed, usually requiring continued treatment for most of the patient's life. However, the two half a million Malaysian epilepsy suffers and their families in Malaysia wonder can it be thoroughly cured?

This article will delve into what curing epilepsy means before discussing the available treatments and new routes for anyone living with this condition.

Chapter 2: What might Cause Epilepsy?

Epilepsy can have different causes; for the most, part genetic factors and brain injury, from infections, stroke or developmental disorders. It presents in individuals differently with seizures of differing type, frequency, and severity. For some people, the seizures are barely noticeable – perhaps a few each year –while others have seizures several times a day and this affects their quality of life significantly.

Can Epilepsy Be Cured?

The word CURE implies a total reduction of a disease without the need for further treatment, The question of whether epilepsy can be cured is otherwise not so simple with respect to epilepsy. Although some individuals with epilepsy go into remission or otherwise have significant periods of freedom from seizures, the disease is usually life-long.

Intermittent periods between seizures: Remission

Epilepsy may also improve in some individuals and go into remission long-term occasionally even permanently. With some illnesses, such as childhood epilepsy, a person may grow out of it as their brain matures. A variety of benign childhood epilepsy syndromes, such as benign rolandic epilepsy in children tend to get better over time and go away by themselves when the child reaches adolescence.

Seizures can recur after extended periods of freedom from them, so it hardly qualifies as a "cure."

Drugs for Controlling Seizures

Anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are successful in combating seizures for the majority of people with epilepsy. About 60-70 per cent of people with epilepsy are able to have their event controlment seizures through medications, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Yet, these drugs are not curative of epilepsy; they work by controlling symptoms and helping to prevent seizures. For most people, the medications will likely need to be continued for many years, if not a lifetime, to control seizures.

If you stop taking these medications suddenly, seizures will generally return, illustrating that they only control (not cure) the epilepsy.

Surgical Interventions

If medication is not effective, some may be eligible for surgery. Surgical therapy of epilepsy where the zone in brain responsible for seizures is removed or modified can bring about either a marked decrease in seizure episodes or even total freedom from these seizures. The results for surgical treatment of patients with epilepsy depend on the origin and localization of seizures.

Surgery may greatly improve the quality of life for those with drug-resistant epilepsy, however it is not considered a cure. Some people need medication even after surgery.

Hope in a Cure for the Future?

Scientists have been working to identify the root causes of epilepsy in order to design new treatments that correct the source of the disorder instead of merely managing symptoms.

Gene Therapy

Gene therapy — Another avenue of research could be gene therapy to correct any genetic defects that can cause epilepsy. In a few, more rare genetic variations of epilepsy (like Dravet syndrome), researchers have even pinpointed exact genetic mutations that cause the disorder. This could have a possible cure by targeting and modifying these genes.

Stem Cell Research

Finally stem cell research may provide future treatments as well. The current prospective research aims to investigate if replacing dead brain cells, or treating the remaining living ones could redress the proper functioning of the brain and maintain prevention of seizures.

New Treatments and Medications

The research is continuing into novel agents, some of which may address inflammation and brain immune responses that could initiate seizures. This progression could create more successful treatment plans and ultimately find cures for certain circumstances.

Epilepsy and Management of the Disease

Epilepsy cannot be cured, and medications do not cure epilepsy; they help control seizures. For most, the use of medication and surgery (i.e., resective seizure surgery) along with other treatments such as VNS or ketogenic diets can lead to a significant reduction in seizures or even becoming seizure-free.

The type of epilepsy and unique circumstances determines what course is appropriate for their management so it is important that people with epilepsy are managed in a collaborative way by a healthcare provider.

Conclusion

Although epilepsy cannot usually be cured, and the likelihood of lifetime remission is slim to nil for some patients, it can often respond to treatment. Medical research is progressing — we now have gene therapies and stem cell research which means, possibly, that a jam can be found in the future. Epilepsy, for the most part, is a manageable condition and under the care of an experienced physician many people are able to lead a full life.

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