Question
I want to know what epilepsy is? I took epilepsy medication at the end of last December, and so far, I haven’t had a single relapse. In the past, I always had warning signs before an attack, but during the time I was on medication, I had two to three episodes of pre-attack symptoms a month, most of which occurred during my afternoon nap. However, I have never had a relapse. What could be the reason for this?
Answer
Epilepsy is a chronic condition that can persist for years or even decades if not properly controlled, affecting a patient’s physical, mental, marital, economic, social status, and family life. As a result, many epilepsy patients hold a pessimistic attitude towards whether they can be cured. It must be pointed out that most cases of epilepsy have a good prognosis, although there are also some cases that are difficult to control and have an unsatisfactory outcome. According to surveys, about 1/3 of epilepsy patients have only had a few mild relapses and can resolve themselves without treatment. For those who require treatment, if antiepileptic therapy is appropriately and sufficiently used, 60% to 80% can achieve good results. A systematic study of the prognosis of epilepsy patients in the UK found that approximately 75% of patients can achieve remission or long-term non-recurrence under effective medication control, more than 1/3 can have relief for over two years, primary epilepsy has fewer than two relapses per year, and those with normal EEG or improving conditions have a better prognosis. Poor prognoses include relapses starting before the age of one, infantile spasms, psychomotor relapses or mixed relapses, abnormal EEG or progressive deterioration, frequent relapses, persistent epilepsy status relapses, long disease course, and recurrence after discontinuation of medication. Analysis shows that by eliminating relevant causes and receiving appropriate and sufficient treatment while maintaining long-term consistency, some cases can be corrected and there is hope for cure.