You’ve likely heard of epilepsy and that it has something to do with seizures. It does — but not everyone who experiences seizures has epilepsy.
“Epilepsy is defined by having two or more unprovoked seizures,” explained Reena Ghode, MD, a neurologist with Endeavor Health who specializes in epilepsy and clinical neurophysiology.
“This applies to someone who has two or more seizures that are not explained by external causes like alcohol withdrawal, or medications.”
What should people know about epilepsy?
Dr. Ghode provides the three most important things that people should know about epilepsy:
- Epilepsy is more common than most people realize. About 3.4 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with epilepsy.
- Epilepsy can begin at any point throughout one’s life. Certain age groups can be more prone, but a new epilepsy diagnosis can occur at any point throughout one’s lifetime.
- People with epilepsy can live completely normal lives. “Epilepsy does not have to impact most areas of life, including working, driving, traveling and childbearing. People can live normal lives with epilepsy,” said Dr. Ghode.
Understanding how common epilepsy is — as well as knowing how those diagnosed can lead normal lives — can help dispel preconceived notions or prejudices about epilepsy.
Are epileptic seizures predictable?
“Predicting epileptic seizures depends on each individual,” said Dr. Ghode. “Some people have warning signs before their seizures begin so that they feel the start of the seizure before it intensifies, allowing them to alert others or get to a safe place.”
In other cases, if a person has a clear trigger that can cause a seizure, this can help them predict when they might be more vulnerable to a seizure occurring.
“Unfortunately, many people who experience seizures have no warning signs,” said Dr. Ghode. “In this case, seizures can occur out of the blue.”
Thanks to a variety of treatment options, people with epilepsy can reduce the frequency and severity of their seizures, or even stop them altogether. There are several different therapies that can help stop seizures from happening, including medication, brain and nerve stimulation devices, and surgery.
Even with these treatments, some people still experience seizures — and for many, they happen without warning. That’s why researchers are developing a new and exciting wearable technology that can help predict epileptic seizures — in the form of a wristwatch.
Seizure-forecasting wristwatches
For people with treatment-resistant seizures, a seizure-forecasting wristwatch can help predict the seizure before it even happens.
“The idea behind a wrist-worn seizure forecasting watch is to predict a seizure before the clinical symptoms start by detecting certain changes in heart rate,” explained Dr. Ghode. “These devices can also let us know if a seizure may have happened by detecting patterns in limb or body movements.”
This technology is still being developed. Currently, the Empatica EpiMonitor is the only FDA-cleared watch in the United States for epileptic seizure monitoring. The FDA has also approved EpiWatch for Apple Watch, an app that detects and alerts the wearer to a seizure.
“While the concept is compelling, in real life, there have been mixed results with overall limited data,” said Dr. Ghode. “Additionally, it can be hard to customize screening devices to detect each individual person’s unique seizures.”
Implantable devices
While seizure-forecasting watches are still being researched, there are similar devices for people with epilepsy. But unlike the watches, these devices are not wearable and do require surgery to implant them in the body.
“In the future, we will hopefully have better methods to utilize this technology,” said Dr. Ghode. “In the meantime, there are specialized devices such as responsive neurostimulation devices (RNS) that both detect and treat seizures.”
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