Epilepsy is difficult but you have access to a lot of helpful resources

During an educational medical symposium for patients with epilepsy last year, I was struck by a comment made by one of our participants. "The best thing about this event is having the chance to be in a room full of other people with epilepsy," she said.

For me, a physician and researcher who treats people with epilepsy, her remark was a reminder of how alone my patients often feel. People with epilepsy may look, think and act like anyone else, but they often carry a silent burden, never knowing when the next seizure will strike. This month, which is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, we take note of the 21,000 people in the Greater Cincinnati region who suffer from epilepsy and what is being done to help them cope with this unpredictable and potentially dangerous condition.

Epilepsy is a common but often misunderstood brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. The term "epilepsy" simply means that someone has had two or more seizures. Common symptoms of seizures include confusion, muscle twitching and loss of memory. Epilepsy can develop at any age and is most likely to first occur in people over the age of 60.

Most people with epilepsy are able to keep their seizures under control with medications, and in some cases the area of the brain responsible for seizures can be safely removed with surgery. But a significant number of people with epilepsy continue to suffer from seizures and the impaired quality of life that typically results. The threat that a seizure may strike, without warning, can force them to give up driving, prevent them from working at certain jobs, and lead to feelings of depression and anxiety.

Fortunately, the Greater Cincinnati community has excellent resources for patients and families confronting epilepsy. Our local affiliate of the Epilepsy Foundation (www.epilepsyfoundation.org and 513-721-2905) strives to ensure that "people with seizures are able to participate in all life experiences" while working to "prevent, control and cure epilepsy through research, education, advocacy and services." Meanwhile, neurologists who specialize in epilepsy management are at the national forefront of epilepsy research at the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati and University Hospital, and at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
Dr. David Ficker is associate director of the Cincinnati Epilepsy Center at the Neuroscience Institute. He lives in Anderson Township.