Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital (KDAH) recently organised an awareness campaign on epilepsy for the general public to mark the Epilepsy Week. The programme included an interactive question and answer section with a panel of experts, short films clarifying the myths surrounding epilepsy.
Patients also shared their experiences about living with epilepsy and life after epilepsy surgery. Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurological disorder affecting over five million people in India. People with Epilepsy have seizures, more commonly known as fits.
“Epilepsy may occur due to various reasons such as damaged areas in the brain, a brain tumour, brain stroke, head injury due to an accident or damage to the baby’s brain during birth etc can all cause seizures or fits,” explained Dr Shekhar Patil, consultant paediatric neurologist and epileptologist, KDAH.
“Over 70 per cent of the people with epilepsy have a good control of their seizures with medications. With the right medication and right advice, most people with epilepsy can lead normal lives and keep the patient seizure free, however that does not completely remove the chances of seizures,” informed Dr Jayanti Mani, consultant neurologist, KDAH.
She further explained that each patient’s problem is unique and it is not easy to generalise. Usually medications are prescribed for a period of two to five years, before a consideration to stop medicines is made. Some patients may need medications for longer period which may take up to several years.
About 20 to 30 per cent of patients continue to have fits despite taking regular medicines. Surgery for epilepsy may be an option in a sizable number of these patients. Surgery is safe and can cure epilepsy in correctly chosen patients.
Kokilaben Hospital has established a comprehensive ‘epilepsy care programme’ to provide the best medical and surgical care for people with epilepsy in the country. KDAH is the first and the only centre in western India that provides state-of-the-art diagnostic facilities and full time dedicated doctors for epilepsy evaluation under one roof.
KDAH also offers intra-operative MRI which is the first of its kind in India. Dr Malla Bhaskar Rao, consultant neurosurgeon, KDAH explains that it allows a surgeon to perform an MRI study in the operation theatre by which he can ensure complete seizure freedom.