Fatima Sana Shaikh Revealed About Her Epileptic Episodes: Know All About This Disease & Its Management

Fatima Sana Shaikh recently revealed on her insta story about her epilepsy disorder and shocked everyone.

National Epilepsy Awareness Month (NEAM) is going on and the ‘Dangal’ star revealed that she is suffering from epilepsy disorder and got her first episode while she was filming for the Dangal movie.

In the ask-me-anything session, Fatima engaged in a conversation with her followers, where she revealed her journey, how she is dealing with epilepsy, what precautions she is taking, and triggers.

In this ongoing month of epilepsy awareness, we discuss what epilepsy is. its diagnosis, and its treatment.

What is Epilepsy?

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Epilepsy affects 50 million people around the world.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes seizures that are recurrent and episodic. It happens because of abnormal nerve impulses and they send erratic signals to the brain.

This result in loss of consciousness, confusion, convulsion, and muscle twitching.

Types of Seizures –

Two Main Types of Seizures are -:

• Generalized Seizures – It affects your whole brain and it has many subtypes like Absence, Tonic, Atonic, Clonic, Myoclonic, and Tonic-clonic.
• Focal (partial) Seizures – It affects only one part of your brain

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Epilepsy Symptoms –

Epilepsy mostly occurs among young people and people who are old in age.

The main symptoms are known to everyone including convulsions, and muscle twitching.

Symptoms are different according to the type of seizure.

Focal seizures –

Its symptoms include –

• Unconsciousness, tingling, and twitching of limbs
• Dizziness
• Perform repetitive movements
• Altered taste, smell, sight, and hearing

Generalized seizures –

This seizure has so many subtypes and its symptoms vary according to the type.

• Absence seizures – It used to be called “petit mal seizures”, its symptoms are short-term loss of awareness, a blank stare, lip smacking, or blinking.
• Tonic seizures – Stiffness in the muscles of your legs, arms, or trunk
• Atonic seizures – Sudden loss of control of your muscles, makes you fall suddenly
• Clonic seizures – Its symptoms are repetitive jerky muscle movements of your face, neck, and arms
• Myoclonic seizures – Sudden twitching of the arms and legs
• Tonic-clonic seizures - It is also called “grand mal seizures” and their symptoms are:-

Stiffening of the body, shaking, loss of bladder control and consciousness, and biting of the tongue

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Management of Epilepsy –

Epileptic patients need care, attention, and a support system. If you are with a person who is suffering from epilepsy, you have to be extra cautious -:

• First, you have to maintain your calm to handle the patient
• Stay with the person who has an epilepsy attack
• Ease the person to the ground and turn them gently onto their side to help them breathe
• Loose their clothes, such as ties that may affect their breathing
• Offer the person food or water until they’re fully alert
• Contact the nearby medicare service for immediate help
• Give them mouth to mouth

 Epilepsy Triggers and Causes –

Causes –

Epilepsy is caused by a variety of factors, these are -:

• Children due to birth defects and gene alteration
• Lack of oxygen to the brain
• Brain tumor or cyst
• Dementia, Alzheimer's disease
• Infectious conditions like HIV, AIDS, and meningitis
• Prenatal injury, brain malformation, and use of some drugs during pregnancy

Triggers -

The most common triggers are –

• Lack of sleep
• Illness or fever
• Stress
• Low blood sugar
• Head injury, low blood sugar

Preventive Measures For Epileptic Patients –

Epilepsy affects the patient's social and professional life. Patients have to take serious preventive measures.

• Patients must keep their seizure diary with them and keep a record of their triggers, it helps them to avoid those triggers
• Inform your colleagues and boss about your condition, in case of emergency help
• Avoid driving and hard physical activities
• Join support group

Celebrities Who Are Living With Epilepsy –

Danny Glover –

Lethal weapon and Shooter star Danny Glover first had seizures when he was a teenager but he was clear about it when he turned 35.

Martin Kemp –

British musician and actor Martin Kemp developed epilepsy after having two brain tumors removed in the 1990s

Hugo Weaving –

Matrix movie famous villain Agent Smith was diagnosed with this condition at the age of 13.

Shefali Jariwala –

Kaanta Laga fame Shefali Jariwala discloses this information in an interview that she suffered from it when she was 15 years old. After therapy, she is nine years epileptic-free.