Patients diagnosed with epilepsy can lead a near normal and seizure-free life if they receive right treatment, doctors who spoke at the webinar organised by The Hindu as part of its Wellness Series on Sunday in association with Naruvi Hospitals.
S. Chitrambalam, Head, Neurology, Naruvi Hospitals, said that epilepsy, a chronic condition, had psychological and social impact not only on the patients but also their family members. However, with the advancements in treatment options available, he said such hardships could be completely avoided.
S. Muthukani, consultant neurologist and epileptologist, Apollo Hospitals, spoke about refractive epilepsy, which did not respond to medications. He said if the seizures did not come under control with a first medicine and a second medicine, then the possibility of it coming under control with a third drug was significantly low. In such cases, surgeries could be an option, he said.
He said that proper medical attention and treatment were necessary for patients with epilepsy since episodes of convulsions could put them to great harm. He cited the example of woman who accidentally burnt her hands when she got seizures while cooking.
Boopesh Pugazhendi, consultant neurosurgeon, Naruvi Hospitals, said advancements in neurosurgery had made freedom from seizures possible. He said such cutting-edge technological equipment to perform precision surgeries to treat epilepsy was increasingly becoming available in India.
Dr. Chitrambalam said that while epilepsy begins at a young age in a majority of the cases, it was possible for people to develop epilepsy later as well. He urged people not to ignore early symptoms. “Many patients who seek medical attention after facing convulsions say that this was the first they faced it. However, they may have faced non-motor seizure before,” he said. The discussion can be viewed online at http://bit.ly/3OxKgBT
