Medicine has many conditions and diseases that are similar to each other. And it is sometimes difficult for an inexperienced person to understand all this. That is why in this article I want to talk about such a problem as episyndrome. What is it and how does this condition differ from epilepsy.
Terminology
Initially, you need to understand what exactly will be discussed further. So, episyndrome: what is it and what are the features of this condition? If you speak correctly, episyndrome is an abbreviated name for symptomatic epilepsy. In fact, this is not an independent disease, but a consequence of a certain ailment. So named solely because it shares many of the same symptoms as epilepsy.
What is epilepsy? So, this is a neuropsychiatric disease of a chronic nature. It is characterized by special mental changes, as well as attacks of convulsions. A very serious illness that requires constant medication and regular visitsdoctors.
Differences
When considering diseases like episyndrome and epilepsy, what is the difference between these problems is what is important to talk about. After all, although these are similar diseases in terms of symptoms, they nevertheless differ significantly. In short and as simply as possible, episyndrome is a problem that is easier and simpler than epilepsy. Although the symptoms are similar, all the signs manifest themselves in varying degrees. Also, one should not forget that episyndrome is a consequence of a previously diagnosed disease, and epilepsy is an independent disease, which, moreover, affects the neuropsychic system. But that's not all. We consider further diseases such as episyndrome and epilepsy. What is the difference between these problems? So, doctors say that in the first case, the problem is acquired after a previous illness. In the second case, epilepsy is often a congenital problem, although it can also be acquired.
About epilepsy
First, I would like to pay a little attention to such a problem as epilepsy (episindrome will be discussed a little later). So, it should be noted that this is a chronic disease of the brain, which is characterized by seizures. The first symptoms may appear in early childhood (5-7 years) or in adolescence (12-13 years) in case of a congenital disease. In this scenario, the disease is well treated and the patient after a while can completely refuse to take the pills. With secondary epilepsy (a different type of illness) thatdevelops as a result of injury, disease, infection, or another cause, treatment may be more difficult. And it is far from always possible to cope with the problem completely.
Episyndrome: Causes
So, episyndrome. What it is? As mentioned above, this is symptomatic epilepsy. That is, a person begins to suffer from seizures, which, however, are provoked by a completely different disease. After getting rid of the root cause, these attacks simply disappear. The causes of this disease can be very different:
- Tranio-cerebral injuries.
- Tumours or other lesions of the brain.
- Various birth injuries, including hypoxia (lack of oxygen).
- Fascos.
- Various diseases such as hippocampal sclerosis (death of neurons) or collapse (acute cardiovascular failure).
Episyndrome symptoms
How does episyndrome manifest itself? The symptoms of this problem are focal. That is, the manifestations of the disease depend on exactly where the affected area is located.
Frontal episyndrome. In this case, the attacks will be accompanied by the following conditions:
- The patient can sharply tighten and stretch the limbs.
- The patient may involuntarily smack, chew, roll their eyes. Salivation may occur involuntarily.
- There may be painful and sudden muscle contractions in the limbs or face.
- Sometimes there are aromatic hallucinations.
Temporal episyndrome. ATin this case, the disease manifests itself as follows:
- May cause hallucinations of sight, smell, hearing.
- There are mood swings from euphoric to dysphoric.
- Patients may be tormented by obsessive thoughts, sleepwalking, a sense of deja vu.
The parietal episyndrome is characterized by the following conditions:
- Patients often complain of numbness in certain areas of the body.
- There is a violation of consciousness, a fading look.
- Sometimes there is confusion and dizziness.
Epileptic symptoms
How does a chronic disease like epilepsy manifest itself? With this disease, scientists identify a whole range of symptoms:
- Mental disorders. It can be either clouding or complete blackout of consciousness, amnesia, vegetative disorders, psychosis.
- Personal changes. The character, way of thinking changes, emotional disorders may occur, memory and intelligence decrease, mood and mood change.
The symptoms of this disease are actually very, very many. However, they all affect the personality of a person, changing it. In the case of episyndrome, this occurs in a very small proportion.
About children
It is very important to timely diagnose epilepsy or episyndrome in children. It is for this that children need to be closely monitored not only at home, but also in educational institutions. So, at the first symptoms, the child should be sent for examination. Andif seizures (convulsions, fainting) “tell” about the episyndrome, then epilepsy is a more dangerous and serious disease when changes in personality traits and mental processes occur. So, the first alarming indicators of epilepsy in children are as follows:
- There can be both restlessness and increased activity, and a completely opposite state - inertia and lethargy.
- Children can be negative, stubborn.
- Often, guys become violent, their behavior is adjacent to the sadistic.
- Children's actions are destructive, aggressive. They can be directed not only at others, but also at themselves (auto-aggression).
It is also important to note that while children with epilepsy can study in general educational institutions, in most cases, children with epilepsy require homeschooling.
Diagnosis
It should also be noted that the diagnosis of episyndrome is not final. This is a particle of the general diagnosis, a complex of symptoms. So the problem can only be de alt with if the root cause is eliminated. How can episyndrome be diagnosed? To do this, today there are two main and most informative methods:
- CT. It is based on the use of X-rays. However, it differs from X-ray in higher image quality.
- MRI. In this case, the human body is not exposed to radiation. There is a strong magnetic field at work here.
These methods help the doctor identify himself withdiagnosis and exclude other brain lesions. But the electroencephalogram is able not only to fix the seizures themselves, but also to determine the place of their localization.
Treatment
Considering such a problem as episyndrome, treatment - that's what I also want to talk about. It is worth noting that it begins only after the recurrence of the attack and the correct diagnosis. Important: therapy should proceed only under the supervision of a doctor. Self-medication in this case is unacceptable. So, among the medications, doctors most often prescribe the drug "Carbamazepine" or "Valproate". The dosage may be increased due to the lack of a therapeutic effect. If after a month there is no improvement, the doctor may add more drugs such as Topiramate, Lamotrigine, Levetiracetam. This treatment should help. If, after the last attack for five years, a person has not experienced a return of the problem or an exacerbation of the condition, then the medication can be completed.
Simple conclusions
Considering such problems as epilepsy and episyndrome (what they are, described above), it should be noted that these are very serious diseases. You won't be able to deal with them on your own. Moreover, the treatment will be very long and can take a long time. However, do not despair. People with similar problems can socialize normally and benefit society. But only with adequate treatment.
