Epilepsy Misdiagnosis
What is epilepsy?
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Raymond, Hertfordshire Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions affecting people in the UK. Epileptic seizures occur as a result of brain signals being interrupted, causing a temporary change in the way brain cells work. During seizures, people may experience blackouts, unusual movements or sensations, with most seizures lasting only seconds or minutes. Epilepsy can affect anyone at any stage of life, but often develops during childhood.
Types of epilepsy
There are many different types of epileptic seizures, but in broad terms these can be divided into two main categories: partial seizures and generalised seizures.
With partial seizures only part of the brain experiences disturbed activity, resulting in 'simple partial' or 'complex partial' seizures. Generalised seizures, on the other hand, involve the entire brain and can result in myoclonic seizures, tonic-clonic seizures or absences, to name but a few.
Causes of epilepsy
There are a number of factors which can be linked to the development of epilepsy including severe head injuries, brain damage during birth, and, very occasionally, brain tumours. However, in many cases, the actual cause of a person's epilepsy is never discovered.
As far as the seizures themselves are concerned, many seem to occur for no apparent reason, although research suggests that seizures may sometimes be caused by external influences such as stress, alcohol, certain patterns of light and high temperature.
Epilepsy tests
Epilepsy can be difficult to diagnose for a number of reasons. First, there is a wide range of possible reasons for a person to lose consciousness. Secondly, a person who has experienced some sort of 'episode' will generally have no recollection of the event in question, and will therefore find it difficult to provide the detailed information required by the doctor. Thirdly, there is no definitive test either confirming or excluding a diagnosis of epilepsy.
However, there are certain tests which can assist doctors in reaching a diagnosis and one such test is an EEG (electroencephalogram) which records brainwave activity. In many cases though, doctors prefer to use a 'wait and see' approach before reaching a firm diagnosis, especially given that some individuals experience a seizure, but never go on to develop epilepsy.
Epilepsy treatment
Whilst there is no known cure for epilepsy, seizures can usually be controlled with the use of Anti Epileptic Drugs (AEDs). There are many different types and brands of AEDs, all of which have been designed to control epileptic seizures. However, the prescription of these drugs can be more of an art than a science.
In the past, doctors would sometimes prescribe patients with various AEDs at the same time, in an effort to find a drug combination which was effective in controlling patients' seizures. However, AEDs can result in severe side effects such as poor concentration, irritability, tiredness and allergic rashes.
Nowadays, doctors tend to prescribe only one AED at a time, with the addition of a second AED in certain circumstances.
Epilepsy Misdiagnosis
Unfortunately, there are times when epilepsy can be misdiagnosed, or where epilepsy is treated incorrectly, and we have represented many clients in cases like these.
Some of our clients were diagnosed with epilepsy following single 'episodes' which were later found to be simple migraines, rather than epileptic seizures. Others were correctly diagnosed with epilepsy, but the type and severity of the epilepsy was misdiagnosed, resulting in the over-prescription of AEDs.
Many of these clients were prescribed with several AEDs at once, often for years at a time. The prescription of so many AEDs caused a wide range of side effects in our clients, not only causing suffering and disruption to their lives at the time they were taking the medication, but also potentially delaying their educational and personal development.