Article title: NINDS Epilepsy Information Page: NINDS
Conditions: Epilepsy
Is there any
treatment?
Once epilepsy is diagnosed, it is important to begin
treatment as soon as possible. For about 80 percent of those diagnosed
with epilepsy, seizures can be controlled with modern medicines and
surgical techniques. Some antiepiletic drugs can interfere with the
effectiveness of oral contraceptives. In 1997, the FDA approved the vagus
nerve stimulator for use in people with seizures that are not
well-controlled by medication.
What is the prognosis?
Most
people with epilepsy lead outwardly normal lives. While epilepsy cannot
currently be cured, for some people it does eventually go away. Most
seizures do not cause brain damage.
It is not uncommon for people with
epilepsy, especially children, to develop behavioral and emotional
problems, sometimes the consequence of embarrassment and frustration or
bullying, teasing, or avoidance in school and other social setting.
For
many people with epilepsy, the risk of seizures restricts their
independence (some states refuse drivers licenses to people with epilepsy)
and recreational activities.
People with epilepsy are at special risk for
two life-threatening conditions: status epilepticus and sudden unexplained
death.
Most women with epilepsy can become pregnant, but they should
discuss their epilepsy and the medications they are taking with their
doctors. Women with epilepsy have a 90 percent or better chance of having
a normal, healthy baby.
What research is being
done?
Scientists are studying potential antiepileptic drugs with
goal of enhancing treatment for epilepsy. Scientists continue to study how
neurotransmitters interact with brain cells to control nerve firing and
how non-neuronal cells in the brain contribute to seizures. One of the
most-studied neurotransmitters is GABA, or gamma-aninobutryic acid.
Researchers are working to identify genes that may influence epilepsy.
This information may allow doctors to prevent epilepsy or to predict which
treatments will be most beneficial. Doctors are now experimenting with
several new types of therapies for epilepsy, including transplanting fetal
pig neurons into the brains of patients to learn whether cell transplants
can help control seizures, transplanting stem cells, and using a device
that could predict seizures up to 3 minutes before they begin. Researchers
are continually improving MRI and other brain scans. Studies have show
that in some case, children may experience fewer seizures if they maintain
a strict diet - called the ketogenic diet - rich in fats and low in
carbohydrates.
Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE)
505 North
Lake Shore Drive
#4605
Chicago, IL 60611
CUREepi@aol.com
http://www.cureepilepsy.org/
Tel:
312-923-9117
Fax: 312-923-9118
Epilepsy Foundation
4351 Garden City Drive
Suite 500
Landover, MD 20785-7223
postmaster@efa.org
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/
Tel:
301-459-3700 800-EFA-1000 (332-1000)
Fax: 301-577-2684
Epilepsy Institute
257 Park Avenue South
New York, NY
10010
website@epilepsyinstitute.org
http://www.epilepsyinstitute.org/
Tel:
212-677-8550
Fax: 212-677-5825
Family Caregiver Alliance
690 Market Street
Suite 600
San Francisco, CA 94104
info@caregiver.org
http://www.caregiver.org/
Tel:
415-434-3388 800-445-8106
Fax: 415-434-3508
National Council on Patient Information and Education
4915
St. Elmo Avenue
Suite 505
Bethesda, MD 20814-6053
ncpie@erols.com
http://www.talkaboutrx.org/
Tel:
301-656-8565
Fax: 301-656-4464
National Family Caregivers Association
10400 Connecticut
Avenue
Suite 500
Kensington, MD 20895-3944
info@nfcacares.org
http://www.nfcacares.org/
Tel:
301-942-6430 800-896-3650
Fax: 301-942-2302
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
P.O. Box 8923
(100 Route 37)
New Fairfield, CT 06812-8923
orphan@rarediseases.org
http://www.rarediseases.org/
Tel:
203-746-6518 800-999-NORD (6673)
Fax: 203-746-6481
Related NINDS Publications and Information
Information booklet on seizures, seizure
disorders, and epilepsy compiled by the National Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Febrile Seizures information
sheet compiled by NINDS.
Febrile seizures fact
sheet compiled by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke (NINDS).
Convulsiones febriles hoja
informativa/Spanish-language fact sheet compiled by the National Institute
of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
Infantile spasms (West Syndrome)
information sheet compiled by NINDS.
Summary of a
White House-initiated conference, "Curing Epilepsy,", March 30-31,
2000.
Results from
the "Curing Epilepsy: Focus on the Future" Conference, held at the
National Institutes of Health (NIH) in March 2000.
Lay-language descriptions of new program
announcements and clinical trials seeking patient volunteers.
Workshop Summary: Models for Epilepsy &
Epileptogenesis
A workshop attempt to reach consensus on
the best method to obtain FDA approval for monotherapy labeling for
antiepileptic drugs (AEDs).
This fact sheet is in the public domain. You may copy it.Provided
by:
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Bethesda, MD
20892
» Next page: NINDS Fabry's Disease Information Page: NINDS
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