Epilepsy cases in Brong-Ahafo alarming – Doctor

The Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital, Dr. James Boakye Fordjour, has stated that the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital has been recording an increasing number of epilepsy cases since 2013.

He is therefore calling on the general public to pay much attention to and support people with epilepsy to help extend their life span.

Dr. Fordjour who revealed this to the GBC in Sunyani, also put on record that epilepsy is a non-infectious illness and can be cured through medical treatment.

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, which features recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Many people with epilepsy have more than one type of seizure and may have other neurological problems as well.

Having epilepsy can also affect one’s safety, relationships, work among other activities. People with epilepsy may be afraid of transferring it to their offspring, but the possibility of passing on epilepsy to their children is usually low.

Medical testing may help people who have a known genetic form of epilepsy understand the risks they face.

The human brain is the source of human epilepsy with infections of the brain being the most common causes of epilepsy. The initial infections are treated with medication, but the infection can leave scarring on the brain that causes seizures at a later time.

People of all ages can have head injuries, though severe head injuries happen most often among young adults.

Quoting statistics from the Brong-Ahafo Regional Hospital, the Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the facility, Dr. James Boakye Fordjour, revealed that, 482 cases were reported in 2013, which increased to 574 in 2014.

It again went up to 628 in 2015. He was unhappy about how epilepsy is perceived or how people with the conditions are treated in some communities.

Dr. J.B Fordjour said most of the mental health cases in our society our epilepsy related, explaining that they become unconscious when attacked by the illness.

According to him, they can collapse irrespective of where they are. Dr. J.B Fordjour recalled how a driver had a seizure when he was about to embark on a journey with passengers and how another fell on naked fire.

He advised pregnant women to avoid playing or having contact with cats, saying cats are a major cause of the illness. Dr. J.B Fordjour therefore appealed to caretakers, parents including the general public to take good care of people with epilepsy.

The Doctor equally entreated them not to stigmatize against people with the disease.

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By: GBC