Epilepsy is a condition, in which the person loses consciousness, generally without any warning. There is a kind of uncertainness associated with seizures as they can occur at any time without any prior warning.

Living with epilepsy is quite difficult as it presents various kinds of challenges to the life that includes relationship problems, school and employment issues etc. Epilepsy varies from person to person hence the effects may also vary from mild and minor to extremely serious ones.

According to various studies conducted, it has been reported that half of the children with epilepsy have some kind of learning and behavioral difficulties ranging from attention problems, language problems and memory issues etc., hence it has been suggested that during the treatment process rather than treating epilepsy alone, emphasis should be laid on treating the child as whole.

What is the impact of seizures on the brain and overall functioning of body?

Abnormal electrical surges in brain causing seizure brings disrupted connections between the neurons hence the signal transduction or in simple words travelling of the signal from one area to the other in the body is disrupted. As a result of which the retrieval of information becomes very difficult. If the seizures are recurrent then the chances of formation of new connection between the neurons also ceases. This disrupts the ability to learn and memorize new things.

Various problems faced by children with epilepsy:

Approximately it is estimated that 50% of the children with epilepsy have some or the other kind of learning problems. Therefore it’s necessary that early recognition of the problems should be encouraged so that proper steps could be taken at the correct time:

• Speech and language problems:

Language and speech are the major factor that influences a child’s ability to learn to communicate/ socialize. Humans require a kind of speech with the help of which they can communicate their feelings, thoughts, and desires. But due to epilepsy the child may find difficulty in recognizing speech, sounds, and difficulty in understanding what is being said.

• Attention problems:

Attention means remaining alert towards a task. Attention requires the brain to analyze and focus. About 40% of the children with epilepsy struggle to maintain attention and concentration. In some cases it has been seen that some anticonvulsant drugs have also shown to cause hyperactivity and attention problems in the children. As a result of which child’s behavior changes in school, at home, and also with the children of the same age.

• Memory problems:

The ability as well capacity of an individual to recognize and memorize information and experiences varies from one person to the other. However children with seizures tend to have more difficulty in recalling or recollecting the information.  This is most likely to happen because the seizure activity disrupts the retrieval of information.

Epilepsy is also associated with various other learning disabilities like reading, writing, spelling, and math etc. There are various anticonvulsant medicines available to treat the epilepsy and cease down the effects of the problem. Keppra is considered to be among the safest drugs with least cognitive side effects. Hence, one should always maintain a good relationship with the doctor so that you could convey that you want a medicine that is appropriate for all the aspects and not just seizures alone. Visit: Infographics on Anti Parkinsonian to know more.