Podcast: Epilepsy can come in many forms, but can be treated

While epilepsy might be more common than most people realize, what many may find even more surprising is the multitude of forms the condition can present in those who suffer from it.

It is, also, a condition that can afflict anyone at any time.

“You can be born with this abnormality, but it doesn’t even have to manifest when you’re born,” Dr. Nikesh Ardeshna, an epileptologist with McLaren Macomb, said on a recent interview on the McLaren In Good Health podcast. “There doesn’t even have to be a family history – you could be the first in your family to have a seizure at any age.”

Epilepsy is a neurological condition in which the sufferer has unprovoked seizures. Many different causes could bring about an epilepsy diagnosis, with many additional unknown causes.

“The signs and symptoms are so variable – it depends on where the seizure is from and the type,” Dr. Ardeshna said. “Some symptoms could be the body shaking or convulsing. Others could be numbness, tingling. Others could be hallucinations. Another one could be speech abnormality. Another one could be memory loss or even a combination of these.”

Fortunately for many cases, epilepsy can be treated, resulting in patients being in control of their seizures through medications or other therapies. To determine the best course of treatment, Dr. Ardeshna encourages a thorough diagnosis.

McLaren Macomb is the only hospital in Macomb County with an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit, an advanced diagnostic unit, which Dr. Ardeshna oversees, to provide thorough epilepsy diagnoses to patients in order to tailor the most effective treatment.

“The goal for the patient is seizure freedom, or to get as close to that as you can as quick as you can and maintain quality of life,” he said. “You want to prevent the long-term consequences of seizures.”