KARACHI, May 19: Absolute compliance to prescribed drug therapy can control epilepsy, a medical condition caused due to abnormal electrical discharges in the brain, more commonly noticed among children and youth.

Prof Hasan Aziz, head of the Neurology Department, Jinnah Post Graduate Medical Centre, on Saturday, strongly advised all those suffering from the condition to ensure regular intake of medicines, which are largely affordable.

“Their dependence on drugs has to be generally lifelong to prevent recurrence of the attack,” he said, warning that otherwise their condition may aggravate.

It would be appropriate to mention that the condition is neither contagious nor does it affect the sanity of the person. People with epilepsy are as intelligent as anyone without it and can be useful members of our society. In 95 per cent of the instances, they are found not to be suffering from any major medical disorder.

Epilepsy can, however, be divided into two categories:

Minor Epilepsy manifests itself through brief episodes of unconsciousness or momentary disconnection from the surroundings as daydreaming, along with brief body jerks.

In Major Epilepsy, a person becomes unconscious, has convulsions, may also becomes incontinent of urine and faeces.

The neurologist mentioned that in about one-fourth epilepsy cases, the affectees are found to have experienced some kind of brain insult during childhood, which may be in form of brain injury or meningitis or any other factor leading to scar.

Epilepsy can occur at any age but is more commonly noticed in children and young adults. The age factor is particularly significant with reference to the underlying cause of the disorder. Contributory factors may be harmless in the younger age group, but could have a more serious basis in the middle to aged people as stroke, brain tumours, etc.

Hence, early control of epilepsy among children and youth can help ensure better quality of life, besides normal development of the child’s brain and educational pursuits.

A senior doctor, responding to a query, said that growing awareness about the disorder has considerably helped dissipate stigma attached to the condition. There is now a growing need to ensure timely diagnosis and proper intervention, he added.

For the very purpose, he said a Comprehensive Epilepsy Control Programme has been launched under Neurology Research and Patient Welfare Fund, Neurology Department, JPMC.

Varied projects of the CECP include Satellite Epilepsy Centres. At present, there are 30 such centres in Karachi, five in other parts of Sindh, two in Balochistan and one in Punjab.

Epilepsy CME workshops for SEC doctors and family physicians is also a regular feature of the programme. According to Prof Hasan Aziz, they are presently in process to initiate a school- awareness programme with teachers and students being the major focus.—APP