Cases of epilepsy are rising by five to 10% every year in India as nearly one crore of the country’s people have been diagnosed with the disease, according to an expert.
Every year, there is a 5-10% rise in the number of patients, says an expert
KOLKATA: Cases of epilepsy are rising by five to 10% every year in India as nearly one crore of the country’s people have been diagnosed with the disease, according to an expert. “Around one crore of the Indian population has been diagnosed epileptic. The disease is mostly prevalent in UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Delhi,” said neurologist Navneet Kumar, member, Epilepsy Association of India.
Kumar, who arrived here to attend a seminar on epilepsy at the Bangur Institute of Neurology, said nearly five lakh new cases (0.05% of the total population) are added every year.
Pointing out that around 70 to 80% epilepsy patients can be fully cured, he said: “Those suffering from the disease since infancy or those having a long history of epilepsy, may require life-long treatment.”
Epilepsy is caused by head injuries, birth injuries, brain infections (neurocysticercosis), brain tuberculosis, brain tumours and metabolic factors like low sugar, alcohol consumption, continuously watching TV or focusing on glaring lights. Kumar said that neurocysticercosis is largely caused by pork tapeworm infection in humans and bad food habits, like not washing or boiling vegetables properly before consumption.
Kumar, the head of the Neurology unit in the PG department of Medicine, GSVM medical college, Kanpur, said these “new facts” had come to light after diagnosing the disease in the form of an epilepsy syndrome.
“One should ask for symptoms of the disease and the type of fit — whether the fit occurs at a particular time during the day (the fits in myoclonic epilepsy when monitored usually occurs after awakening from sleep),” said Kumar.
“Besides, the age of the patient is important,” the doctor said, noting that investigations by EEG and MRI were required to ascertain the type of epilepsy and the complex causes.
Stating that false reports at times posed difficulties in diagnosing the correct type of epilepsy and its treatment, Kumar said, “We would need a good MRI machine and a good radiologist to get the correct report.”
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