Experts dole out Tips to prevent epilepsy

Head injuries during road accidents are turning out to be a primary cause for the increasing incidence of epilepsy among Mumbaiites.

Head injuries during road accidents are turning out to be a primary cause for the increasing incidence of epilepsy among Mumbaiites.

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“That is why we need to encourage all people riding two-wheelers to wear helmets, even the pillion riders,” said Dr Pravina U Shah, secretary of the Indian Epilepsy Association (IEA). Addressing a press conference a week before the National Epilepsy Day on November 17, Shah, also the former head of KEM Hospital’s neurology department, shared a few precautionary measures to prevent epilepsy.

She said that adequate pre-natal care during a delivery could help rule out new cases of epilepsy caused by birth injuries. Also, good hygiene like washing hands before eating can prevent epileptic seizures that are caused due to tapeworm eggs that get lodged in the brain.

Medical experts at the conference said that at any given time, at least one per cent of Mumbai’s population suffers from epilepsy. In up to 70 per cent of fresh cases, epilepsy can be treated with the help of anti-epileptic drugs. Prompt medical examination and treatment should be a priority.