Epilepsy: Health Insurance Coverage, Symptoms & Treatment

According to a report, about 1.3 crore Indians have epilepsy. Even more saddening is the fact that only about 29 lac get treated. This means about 1 crore have not been treated for this disorder.Unfortunately, many such people do not receive proper treatment due to lack of knowledge, cultural beliefs, superstitions, poverty, and other such factors.Therefore, the need of the hour is to spread awareness about epilepsy, its diagnosis, and its treatment. Moreover, people can also have questions about epilepsy insurance and the steps to take in the absence of such insurance. So, let's delve deeper to know more.

Epilepsy can be broadly classified into two types depending upon the seizure the patient experiences:

• Generalised Epilepsy In generalised epilepsy, abnormal electrical impulses are spread throughout the patient's brain, causing seizures.
• Partial Epilepsy Partial epilepsy is also referred to as focal or localised epilepsy. In this case, abnormal electrical impulses are generated from a small localised part of the brain, causing seizures.

• High fever
• Temporary confusion
• Uncontrolled movements in the arms or legs
• Loss of awareness or consciousness
• Anxiety, fear, a sense of déjà vu

Since epilepsy is a neurological disorder, any event resulting from brain injury, head trauma, brain inflammation or simply faulty nerves in the brain can cause the onset of epilepsy.Some of the common factors that can cause an epileptic disorder are

Genetic Factors

• Stroke Stroke can cause various types of neurological complications including the onset of epilepsy.
• Trauma Serious physical trauma to the brain or the skull can cause epilepsy.
• Abnormality in Brain Structure Sometimes epilepsy can be caused by a structural abnormality in the brain. For example, there can be too many or too few neurons in a particular area of the brain.Genetic mutation can sometimes result in hormonal imbalance that affects nerves' control, resulting in epilepsy.
• Infectious Diseases Encephalitis, meningitis, and other such infectious diseases can cause the barrier between the blood and the brain to break. This can result in the release of toxins, and the patient contracts epilepsy.
• Unknown Reasons In nearly half of the patients reported having epilepsy, the cause of the seizures remains unknown.

Although epilepsy can be hereditary, the chances of children born from an epilepsy-affected patient inheriting the disease are low. Many epileptic patients have children who were not born with the same conditions.Furthermore, epilepsy is not hereditary in those children whose parent(s)have developed the illness due to stroke or brain injury from an accident. However, a person has a higher chance of suffering from epilepsy if someone from that person's family has an epilepsy condition developed genetically.

There is no one trigger for epilepsy as different epilepsy patients can have different potential triggers. Some common epilepsy triggers can be

• Severe illness
• Excessive Stress
• Regular consumption of alcohol, drugs, or even caffeine.
• Overeating or skipping mills
• Lack of sleep
• Bright lights

It may be noted that a single incident is unlikely to be the trigger for epileptic seizures as many different factors or incidents can contribute to developing seizures. Therefore, the affected people or their caregivers can consider maintaining proper records to know what triggers epilepsy seizures in the patient.The following data can be noted in the journal meant for epilepsy-

• At what date and time did the patient experience seizure?
• What was the patient doing when the seizure occurred?
• What was the mood of the patient? Was the patient stressed out?
• Did the patient have a sound sleep the night before?
• Was there any special ambience such as unusual sound, smell, or sight?
• What was the patient eating, or what did the person eat right before the seizures occurred?

You can add more such questions to the journal if you think it can help the doctor identify the potential triggers and know whether the medication is working.

The doctors can recommend the following diagnostic tests to identify epilepsy.

• Electroencephalography (EEG) This test helps to detect the presence of any unusual electrical activity in the brain by attaching sensors to the brain and taking the readings.
• Magneto Encephalography (MEG) This test is the same as EEG, but it can also measure the magnetic fields produced inside the brain during an activity.
• Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) MRI scan uses radio waves and powerful magnets. It can be used to determine any tumour, damage to brain tissues or any other abnormalities.

While there is no permanent cure for epilepsy today, regular medication can manage it. The treatment of epilepsy can involve nerve pain medications that numb the pain from damaged nerves. Sedatives are also used to induce drowsiness or a sense of calm. Doctors also prescribe anti-convulsant to prevent seizures or reduce their effects.Cognitive behavioural therapy, or CBT, is also used in epilepsy treatment though its effectiveness is still open for interpretation.

Any health treatment today can drain your bank balance dry in no time. Therefore, you should always purchase adequate health coverage for yourself and your family. Unfortunately, as of today, no health insurance policy in India covers epilepsy.However, thanks to the new IRDAI guidelines, epilepsy insurance is indirectly possible through health insurance that can cover genetic problems, mental illnesses, and psychological disorders. This means that while your health plan might not cover epilepsy as an illness, the underlying medical condition that caused epilepsy might be covered.Therefore, you should carefully check the policy documents to know whether you can get epilepsy insurance as a part of health cover that insures you against any genetic problem or so.

Epilepsy can strike anyone at any time. The only way to combat this growing menace is to adopt a healthy lifestyle, including good eating habits and spreading awareness regarding the disease.Moreover, you should have adequate health insurance with additional features like hospital cash rider, critical illness rider, etc., to be financially stable in the time of a health emergency.

The information contained herein is generic in nature and is meant for educational purposes only. Nothing here is to be construed as an investment or financial or taxation advice nor to be considered as an invitation or solicitation or advertisement for any financial product. Readers are advised to exercise discretion and should seek independent professional advice prior to making any investment decision in relation to any financial product. Aditya Birla Capital Group is not liable for any decision arising out of the use of this information.