International Epilepsy Awareness Day

On March 26th, Purple Day is celebrated, a date that aims to combat prejudice and misinformation about epilepsy, giving support and support to people living with the disease. The International Eplepsy Awareness Day is also an important opportunity to promote social inclusion and provide more information to the population about the subject.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. It affects approximately 1% of the general population. “Therefore, in Salvador, it is estimated that there are around 30 people with epilepsy. It is a chronic disease that is highly stigmatized and, therefore, the patient suffers a lot of prejudice", declares the neurologist and professor at Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Humberto de Castro Lima Filho. 

The disease is characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures, generated by excessive and abnormal activity of brain neurons. There are several types of epileptic seizures. The common feature to all of them is that they are paroxysmal events, that is, they happen suddenly, often without any warning. A seizure, or simply a seizure, is a type of epileptic seizure, in which the individual has an abrupt loss of consciousness, with concussions in all four limbs (legs and arms), and may present with tongue biting, excessive salivation, sometimes with sphincter release , being able to urinate or defecate in the pants. Then there is a gradual recovery of consciousness, often with complaints of pain in the head and body. 

However, there are many other types of epileptic seizures. "Absence seizures, common in children, for example, are characterized by an abrupt cessation of activity, wide-eyed immobility and, after a few seconds, individuals regain consciousness and go back to doing exactly what they were doing before" , explains the neurologist.

In adults, seizures are frequent in the temporal region of the brain, which can manifest with strange behavior. "The person has a different look and begins to show manual automatisms (abnormal repetitive movements such as fiddling with clothes, buttoning and unbuttoning the shirt...) and oral automatisms (moving the mouth or chewing movements)", explains Dr. Humberto . 

According to the doctor, proper treatment makes people with epilepsy manage to have an absolutely functional life and perform all activities. They are people as productive, as smart and as capable as anyone else. However, prejudice often leads to losses in social and professional life. The patient finds it difficult to enter the labor market, as people are afraid to offer a job to an individual with epilepsy. He also warns: “Epilepsy is not contagious, but some are afraid to help someone in crisis. Epilepsy doesn't catch! People are still afraid and ashamed to talk about epilepsy”.

In 2008, a little girl from Nova Scotia, Cassidy Megan, determined by her own battle with epilepsy, came up with the idea of ​​Purple Day, in which people wear purple to draw attention to this common and common disease. so condemned by the population. 

Source: Dr. Humberto de Castro Lima Filho - CRM 24.259

Graduated in Medicine by Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública (Bahiana), has a Medical Residency in Neurology and Specialization in Epilepsy at Hospital das Clínicas, Faculty of Medicine, USP. He is currently a professor of Physiology at Bahiana, coordinator of the Epilepsy Service and neurologist at the HTLV Center of the Teaching-Assistential Outpatient Clinic of Bahiana. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Neurology and currently researches cognitive functions in patients with epilepsy.