Healthy Kids: Epilepsy

FORT MYERS, Fla. – November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. Dr. Annette St. Pierre-Mackoul joined us in the studio to discuss epilepsy and more.

What is epilepsy?

• Prevalence: 1 in every 100 people in the US.
• Cause: 50% = unknown cause
• Other causes: severe head injury, stroke, brain tumor, genetic conditions, lead poisoning, problems in brain development before birth, illnesses affecting the brain like meningitis, encephalitis or even the measles.
• Occurs in people younger than 17 years or older than 65 years.
• Lots of different kinds of seizures / epilepsy.

Seizure First Aid:

• Remain calm and make the environment calm
• People with seizures can hear what’s going on.
• Look for Medical Alert tags – signifying epilepsy.
  If no tag, call 911.
• Do not restrain the person.
• Do not put anything in their mouth.
• Lay the individual on their side.
• Put something soft between their head and the floor.
• Time the length of the seizure.
• Have someone video the seizure – might help doctors.
• Be supportive and comforting to the individual.

Epilepsy Facts:

• Neurological Disorder
• Sudden brief surges of electrical energy in the brain.
• Episodes are called seizures.
• Alter a persons awareness, movements, or actions.
• Lasts seconds to minutes.
• Seizures are common after the brain is stressed.
• Stressed = infection, fever, injury, lack of oxygen or poisoning.
• Recurrent seizures is epilepsy