Things I Wish I Knew About Treatment Options for Epilepsy
One of the most severe neurological diseases, which occurs both in children and adults, is epilepsy. More than a third of patients live with uncontrollable seizures due to the low effectiveness of standard treatment with anticonvulsants.
Until recently, this pathological process has been considered incurable, but experienced German doctors can effectively handle the disease, improving the quality of life of patients in different age groups for many years. Today Germany is the most popular country where patients can choose from the numerous treatment options for epilepsy.
What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a severe disease of the brain that is caused by the abnormally increased electrical activity of certain parts of the brain, resulting in seizures at indefinite intervals.
Seizures vary in severity and type. There are myoclonic, tonic, clonic, tonic-clonic, and atonic seizures. In some patients, it may be a temporary loss of consciousness or loss of control over body movements (absence seizures or “petit mal seizures”). Children with epilepsy require special attention in order to avoid injury during seizures.
Even in the case of brief or infrequent seizures, epilepsy requires mandatory and urgent treatment. After all, it can create life-threatening situations for the patient. People with epilepsy should have regular medical check-ups, visit their doctor and monitor their health state.
Modern methods of treatment
Unfortunately, many countries still use outdated equipment and treatment options for epilepsy. For more innovative and effective treatment, it is worth considering leading specialized hospitals worldwide. For example, in Germany there are many modern healthcare facilities where you can undergo epilepsy treatment with conservative and interventional measures.
Today there are several advanced types of treatment for epilepsy:
- The most common and least expensive option is the conservative therapy with anticonvulsants.
- Different modifications of the epilepsy surgery. This includes the mechanical removal of epileptogenic foci.
- The second type of surgery involves implanting an electrode into the brain and placing the stimulating device under the skin in the chest. The electrode in the brain is implanted through a small hole in the skull. This type of treatment is called deep brain stimulation.
- The most effective and at the same time expensive method for epilepsy treatment is laser ablation of epileptic foci. In contrast to conventional surgery, this method is minimally invasive and also has a shorter rehabilitation period.
Treatment of epilepsy in children
More sparing options are used to treat this disease in children. The most popular are drug therapy and the ketogenic diet. The ketogenic diet in children has the most noticeable effects, but it may also be prescribed for the treatment of adults.
Drug therapy can reduce the frequency of seizures, and a properly chosen ketogenic diet can increase the therapeutic effect of antiepileptic drugs. In case there is no effect from this treatment in children, the attending physician will select the treatment individually.
According to statistics, the ketogenic diet for epilepsy leads to an improvement in the general condition of patients in most cases. It almost halves the number of seizures. It should not be forgotten that the diet is only a complementary treatment method, not an independent technique for getting rid of epilepsy.
Epilepsy treatment abroad
To date, there is a large number of foreign hospitals that offer patients with epilepsy high-quality treatment. However, because of the global lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic, many patients are not able to apply for treatment in foreign hospitals.
To manage this, you can contact the medical tourism operator Booking Health. With Booking Health you will get help in arranging up-to-date diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy in the best foreign hospitals.
In addition, the specialists of Booking Health will provide you with a huge number of advantages during your treatment, the main of which is the absence of additional fees for foreign patients. You can find more information about the particulars of treatment abroad on the Booking Health website.