Diagnosing epilepsy
If you have seizures, see your doctor as soon as possible because it may indicate severe disease. Your primary care doctor will provide you with initial care then refer you to a neurologist to diagnose you.
The diagnosis of epilepsy requires exclusion of other conditions that may also cause seizures, such as infectious diseases, migraine, panic attacks, and liver and kidney diseases.
Your doctor will start by taking your detailed medical history. He will ask you:
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- When did you have the 1st attack?
- What were you doing just before it?
- What did you feel before, during, and after the attack?
- How many times did you have seizures?
It’s helpful to tell your doctor with this information or take a person -who saw you- to do this. Your doctor will also ask you if you have any health issues or a family history of epilepsy.
Then, he will do a neurological examination to assess how your nervous system works. He will test your motor abilities (power, reflexes, coordination), walking skills, sensations, behavior, and mental functions (like thinking).
History and examination may suggest that you may have epilepsy. Thus, your doctor will order some investigations to confirm the diagnosis, such as:
EEG (Electroencephalogram)
It is the most common diagnostic test for epilepsy. It’s painless and non-invasive. Your doctor puts electrodes on your scalp to record the electrical activity of your brain. He may do this test during sleep or ask you to do some tasks. In epilepsy, this test shows abnormal patterns of electrical activity.
Blood tests
Your doctor may order blood tests to exclude other conditions that may cause seizures, such as infections, kidney diseases, and hypoglycemia.
Brain imaging techniques (CT scan – MRI)
Brain imaging reveals conditions that may cause seizures, like tumors, stroke, and brain scarring (as in infections).
Your doctor uses the information from history, examination, and investigation to reach a diagnosis. Diagnosis of epilepsy typically requires two or more seizures with 24 hours intervals. But, your doctor can diagnose you by one attack if you are at high risk.
