19 November 2008
Chandigarh, India
The Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) will conduct surgeries on children suffering from epilepsy. This was revealed on the occasion of National Epilepsy Day at Prayaas Centre on Tuesday.
Promising to substantially improve the lives of children suffering from epilepsy through latest surgical techniques, Professor Pratibha Singhi, chief of Paediatric Neurology, PGI, said epileptic surgeries, which are a prevalent mode of treatment in the West, will be performed on the affected children at the institute.
She added: “Not every case of epilepsy requires surgery. But, whenever it is felt that it can substantially improve the quality of life of the child, the surgeons can go in for it. PGI is already conducting surgery on adults suffering from epilepsy.”
She said that surgery is not a full treatment for epilepsy, but only aids in the better management of the disease.
“Nearly one third of the children with disabilities suffer from epilepsy. In them, epilepsy is more severe and complicated when compared to children who are neurologically normal. Usually a single anti-epileptic drug is enough to control seizures in most patients but children with disabilities may require more than one drug.”
As many as 100 children participated in a drawing competition organised by Prayaas. An interactive session was also held for the parents of these children.
What causes epilepsy
There is no single cause of epilepsy. Infections of the brain, illness, head injury or an abnormal brain development in disabled children may be responsible for the disease. It can also be genetic. The symptoms of epilepsy among infants include sudden jerks, which goes unrecognised by parents.
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