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News items on 'Epilepsy'
Hospital 'sorry' for boy's death
(BBC 04/09/2009)
The parents of a three-year-old boy who died after being given the wrong medication have received an apology and compensation from a Leicester hospital. Royal Infirmary bosses have admitted Ryan Pitcher received "incorrect treatment" for epilepsy from Dr Andrew Holton, which led to his death in 1997. Dr Holton misdiagnosed hundreds of children over 10 years at the hospital. Ryan's parents Simon and Diane said concerns about Dr Holton should have been investigated earlier.
Scientists halt epilepsy in mice
(BBC 04/08/2009)
Scientists have prevented epilepsy caused by a faulty gene from being passed down the generations in mice. The key gene, Atp1a3, regulates levels of chemicals such as sodium and potassium in brain cells. It has long been suspected that an imbalance of these chemicals may cause some cases of epilepsy. The University of Leeds study, which appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, raises hopes of new treatments for the condition.
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Epileptic woman has seven parts of her brain removed to beat disease
(Mirror 19/06/2009)
Emma Kon, 25, began having chronic convulsions after a near-fatal brain virus at 17 left her in a three-week coma and gave her amnesia. It forced her to quit university and she was later unable to hold down a job. But UK surgeons performed the risky op, which could have paralysed or killed her, after her family paid £7,000 for Belgian experts to pinpoint the parts of her brain behind the attacks. Emma, of Borehamwood, Herts, said: "I decided that the risks were worth it."
Feared disease
(BBC 10/06/2009)
How the 'stigma' of epilepsy is hampering care. A thousand people a year are killed by a common disease - but understanding of epilepsy is hampered by stigma and fear. Epilepsy expert Professor Mark Richardson says the condition should receive the same attention as other causes of sudden death.
Exclusive: Pain like a bolt of lightning was epilepsy
(Mirror 28/05/2009)
As many as 400 people die unnecessarily each year from epilepsy because of a shortage of specialists, according to experts. Campaigners are demanding an urgent overhaul of what they describe as a disgraceful system. Stumbling out of the restaurant, Susie White, 31, tried to steady herself. All of a sudden, the world around her turned black and her legs buckled. Moments later, she found herself on the floor with no idea how she had got there.
Employers' positive action on epilepsy helps consign discrimination to history
(The Scotsman 26/05/2009)
WORKING with someone who has a serious illness can be worrying for colleagues concerned about what they should do if the person falls sick. But workplaces are now showing they can adapt to support staff with conditions that require everyone to be vigilant to look after their health. Epilepsy Scotland has begun rewarding employers who go out of their way to look after workers with epilepsy. Among the winners are the Scottish Parliament, which has three staff with epilepsy.
High-fat diet aids epileptic girl
(BBC 20/05/2009)
A nine-year-old girl from Devon with a severe form of epilepsy has seen a big improvement in her condition thanks to a high-fat diet, her family says. Lucy Murphy, from Exeter, is on the ketogenic diet, which uses fat not carbohydrates as fuel for the brain. The fat produces ketones, which can help prevent seizures, and is supported by a specialist dietician funded by the Daisy Garland charity. Her mother, Denise, said: "It's given her back some sort of life."
'Sticky cell' clues to epilepsy
(BBC 23/11/2008)
Researchers may have found how an initial, non-epileptic, seizure could lead to a lifetime of epilepsy. In mice, the initial seizure caused release of a body chemical within the blood vessels which increased the "adhesion" of leukocytes. The mice would then go on to develop full epilepsy. But when this "stickiness" was blocked frequency of subsequent seizures was reduced.
Epilepsy raises drowning danger
(The Scotsman 20/08/2008)
NEW research has highlighted that people with epilepsy are nearly 20 times more likely to drown compared with the general population.
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