WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, which aims to raise awareness about the condition that affects approximately 3 million American adults.

Novant Health’s Dr. Christine Tangredi spoke to WECT about the condition, how it’s treated and how the symptoms may not be what most people expect.

“So when we use the term epilepsy, it can also be used synonymously with seizure disorder, and that basically describes seizures,” Dr. Tangredi said. “So people with epilepsy have these unprovoked, random seizures. And what a seizure is is an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain. So the brain is supposed to process information, form memories, form speech and language, develop.

“And when you have these abnormal electrical discharges, you’re not going to function well in the brain and you’re not going to function normally and healthily. That’s why it’s so important to treat epilepsy so the brain can continue to function normally.”

Seizures can look different depending on age, according to Dr. Tangredi. For example, an infant’s seizures may appear as if they are stretching or blinking, while an adolescent may just stare.

It is important to understand that not all seizures are the violent episodes that most people attribute them to.

“So seizures can be treated in a variety of ways, fortunately,” added Dr. Tangredi. “We have a variety of drugs, and they come out with newer drugs every year with fewer side effects. For people who don’t respond well to medication, there are special diets, such as the ketogenic diet, a very high-fat, low-carb diet.

“There are devices that are actually surgically implanted in the chest, called a vagal nerve stimulator, that deliver a current to the brain, and then you’re armed with an actual magnet to slide the chest to stop a seizure. And then, if the seizures are really severe, you can surgically remove the focus of the seizures in the brain.”

The full interview can be found at the top of this story.

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