Dr. Olajide Benson is the Head Neurologist at Heritage Neurology. He is board-certified in neurology by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology with over 21 years of experience specializing in Neurology and Critical Care Medicine.
Epilepsy
EPILEPSY
Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by sudden recurrent episodes of nerve cell disturbance, often resulting in seizures. A seizure, also known as convulsion, is caused by abnormally excited electrical signals in the brain that leads to changes in attention or behavior. While seizures are a common symptom of epilepsy, not all seizure are as a result of epilepsy. Epilepsy can affect people at any age, but signs usually begin to manifest between the ages of 5 and 20. According to the CDC, 3 million people in America have epilepsy, 0.6% of them being children aged 0-17 years.
Common causes of epilepsy include stroke, brain tumor, traumatic brain injury, congenital brain defects, and infection of the central nervous system. There is often no risk factor for developing epilepsy, however, people with a family history of epilepsy may have the condition.
Epilepsy may result in other issues like learning difficulty, injuries from falls or crashes during seizures, among others.
With a picture of what the condition is there are important steps to consider in relation to managing the epilepsy.
How is epilepsy diagnosed?
First, you should pay attention to is the frequency of seizures. If you or your child has had more than one seizure, you need to contact a specialist for accurate diagnosis. At Heritage Neurology, our specialist will help identify the source of the seizures and give advice on the best treatment. This diagnosis process involves tests to measure electrical activity in the brain. Some of such recommended tests include Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Electroencephalogram (EEG), Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), among others. At Heritage Neurology we provide EEG and Ambulatory EEG testing services
What types of treatments are available?
There is a range of effective medications that can be prescribed for you depending on the nature of your diagnosis. Epilepsy medications, often called anticonvulsants help reduce the frequency of future seizures. Some seizures are not controlled by anti-seizure medications, such as intractable epilepsy, refractory epilepsy and treatment-resistant epilepsy. Specialists may also recommend that patients explore surgical options to help decrease seizures for some cases.
Why should I choose Heritage Neurology?
At Heritage Neurology, we offer superior testing services to arrive at accurate diagnosis. Also our experts work closely with patients to select the medication and treatment option that works best for each case.