Hardworking doctors, scientists, and medical teams across the Dallas-Fort Worth area are part of a movement to give quality of life back to patients suffering seizure disorders. While seizures come in varying degrees of severity and no one common cause links them, each episode disrupts the health, happiness, and plans of a patient.
No matter their genetic background or age, it’s important for each and every seizure sufferer to get the best medical care available. That means working with neurology teams like Lone Star Neurology to find potential causes of seizures, stabilize and treat related medical issues, and restore valuable peace of mind.
What Causes a Seizure?
While there are an almost endless variety of root triggers – genetics, accident trauma, and more – a seizure itself is caused by the same event. When the electrical signals that travel through the brain fire at the same time, rather than in a set pattern individually, a seizure occurs. While most people are familiar with the sensationalized rigidity and full-body shaking seen in movies and television shows, real seizures can be easy to spot or extremely subtle. While some can and do resemble the seizures shown in media, other seizure symptoms may be as simple as clumsiness or zoning / blacking out in the middle of an activity requiring focus.
What is Epilepsy?
Most conversations about seizures touch on epilepsy, a condition diagnosed under certain chronic seizure conditions. Statistics state that approximately one in every 26 people will develop some form of epilepsy in their lifetime. That means that, of the 6.8 million individuals living in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas area, around 34,000 to 81,600 individuals are statistically likely to struggle with epilepsy. Fortunately, timely diagnosis and expert care from a neurology provider can preserve quality of life and prevent seizure-related accidents or injuries.
How Does Neurology Help Seizures?
Neurology deals with the nervous system and the way the brain directs it to work. That also means it’s the first line of defense against seizures, in terms of medical research. If a seizure disorder is suspected, a neurologist can perform a wide range of tests to isolate the cause, including:
- Genetic blood tests to determine if your linage carries a gene known for seizure disorders.
- Tests to measure the electrical activity of your brain, both at rest and during a seizure.
- Special intracranial imaging like MRI or CT scans to look for visual brain structure issues.
- Cerebrospinal fluid testing to determine if a viral or bacterial agent is causing seizures.
Combined with a thorough neurological exam, your neurologist will be able to rule out certain causes while zeroing in on others, all with an overarching goal of supporting your health, well-being, and quality of life.
In the event a known medical issue is causing your seizures, a neurologist will be able to refer you for surgery to repair the issue, recommend a course of physical or occupational therapy, or prescribe specific medication to help manage or even eliminate the seizing issue.
A seizure or seizure disorder doesn’t just disrupt your focus and your life – it also has a negative impact on your confidence, your hope, and your future. Don’t let seizures freeze up your goals as well as your body – fight back. Top-of-the-line neurological care, expert diagnosis, and comprehensive treatment plans for seizures and seizure disorders will help you regain your focus on the future.
If you live in the Dallas-Forth Worth area and are concerned that you may be suffering from a seizure disorder, don’t wait: book a neurology appointment immediately. Remember: the earlier disorders like epilepsy are found, the easier it is to successfully treat them.
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