Healthcare Technology Featured Article

January 11, 2022

How Television and computer games cause epilepsy?




For many people with and without epilepsy, television is part of everyday life, it is used for relaxation, distraction or is associated with happy family rituals. Children, adolescents and young adults in particular enjoy video games on the computer or game consoles or even practice this as a hobby with friends. 

Can whiplash cause seizures? Actually an epileptic seizure is an event of an altered brain function caused by abnormal, or excessive, electrical discharges from brain cells.Epilepsy is only spoken of in the case of repeated seizures emanating from the brain for which there is no recognizable trigger. Very few people know that in accidents that result in whiplash, the temporomandibular joint is usually also affected. Not only the head joints and the cervical spine are affected, but also the temporomandibular joints. Unfortunately, this is rarely recognized in time in medicine, with the result that the patient unnecessarily sometimes has severe symptoms for years. 

In the so-called "whiplash syndrome" (whiplash syndrome), as whiplash is also known, the head moves jerkily forwards and backwards, which can overstretch joints, muscles, nerves and all other anatomical structures. The head jerking forwards and backwards also results in an uncoordinated opening and recoil of the lower jaw. This can damage the temporomandibular joints, their ligaments, nerves and, of course, the teeth. 

Video games with a known seizure provocation should be avoided and children and adolescents should play under the supervision of an adult who can provide first aid in the event of a seizure . For computer games, the diameter of the screen should not be more than 15 inches and for larger screens such as a television set, a viewing distance of four times the screen diagonal, usually two to two and a half meters, should be maintained. 

A small proportion of people with epilepsy live with what is known as "photosensitivity," which means that visual stimuli can trigger seizures. Photosensitivity means the person's sensitivity to flickering light. Flickering light is light that fluctuates rapidly in strength. In about 5 percent of all people with epilepsy, these light stimuli can lead to epileptic events. 

Epilepsy: medication 

To prevent epileptic seizures, the attending physician can prescribe so-called anti-epileptic drugs. With the help of the funds, many patients can live without seizures. The epilepsy tablets work like a kind of "seizure blocker". They raise the brain's "threshold" for seizures to occur. This means that while they prevent seizures, they do not work against the actual cause of epilepsy. 

A monopreparation helps most patients. This means that the sufferer only has to take one drug to get the seizures under control. For others, the first remedy has no or insufficient effect. The doctor then switches the therapy to another drug or prescribes another anti-epileptic drug. Sometimes the doctor and patient have to try several remedies until they find the ideal therapy. 

There are remedies that can help with an acute epileptic attack. Other medications, if taken permanently, ensure that fewer seizures occur. When and which drug comes into question always depends on the individual case of illness. If you are affected, discuss the medication with your doctor and make sure to follow the guidelines. 



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