Alcoholic epilepsy is one of the symptomatic forms of the disease that develops as a result of alcohol abuse.. Most often, pathology occurs in people suffering from stage II-III alcoholism.. Extremely rarely, epileptic seizures are observed in a person who has episodically taken a large dose of alcohol, according to Pannochka, an online publication for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old.. net Alcoholic epilepsy usually develops in people who abuse alcohol for a long time. The disease is more commonly diagnosed in men over the age of 30.. Its characteristic features are:.

the presence of a clearly traceable relationship between an episode of drinking alcoholic beverages and epileptic seizures;

absence of epileptic foci on the electroencephalogram (EEG);

high frequency of non-convulsive seizures.

Before the onset of a seizure, the patient may experience sudden mood swings, the appearance of aggression towards the people around him. Often epileptic seizures in chronic alcoholics are the first harbingers of developing delirium tremens (alcoholic delirium) - a type of acute alcoholic psychosis.

The development of large generalized convulsive seizures is accompanied by a sudden fall of a person, which can cause injuries of varying severity..

Treatment of alcoholic epilepsy is carried out jointly by a narcologist and an epileptologist.

Causes and classification The main cause of the disease is alcohol intoxication of brain cells due to the toxic effect of ethanol.. The likelihood of developing an attack increases under the influence of the following factors:.

intake of alcohol substitutes (moonshine, various alcohol-containing liquids intended for domestic purposes);

long drinking;

traumatic brain injury;

genetic predisposition to develop epilepsy;

massive neoplasms of the brain;

neuroinfections (encephalitis, meningitis, arachnoiditis);

cerebrovascular accident.

In the ICD-10, alcoholic epilepsy is not singled out as a separate nosological unit, therefore, convulsive and non-convulsive seizures arising from alcohol abuse are considered by experts within other pathological categories, for example, as withdrawal syndrome with a convulsive seizure or alcohol intoxication with a convulsive seizure.

However, in the medical literature, the term "

Pathological condition.

Description.

epileptic reaction.

Episodic or single attacks that occur in people who do not suffer from chronic alcoholism, but are associated with a single intake of large doses of alcoholic beverages. In most cases, the attack develops the next day after drinking alcohol.. The disappearance of the manifestations of the hangover syndrome is accompanied by the cessation of seizures..

epileptic syndrome.

Widespread pathology that manifests itself in patients suffering from chronic alcoholism. The patient has repeated epileptic seizures, combined with severe somatic and mental disorders caused by the underlying disease.. In some cases, the development of an attack may be preceded by an aura resembling hallucinations or illusions..

Alcoholic epilepsy.

This form of the disease develops mainly in people suffering from chronic alcoholism for a long time (over 10-12 years).. The attack develops after heavy drinking at the height of the withdrawal syndrome and often ends with a transition to alcoholic psychosis..

Symptoms True alcoholic epilepsy is always characterized by an association between the occurrence of seizures and the following factors:.

consumption of alcoholic beverages;

withdrawal syndrome development;

development of alcoholic psychosis.

As a rule, the pathological conditions listed above do not develop at the time of taking alcohol, but after a certain time (2-4 days) after stopping their use or significantly reducing the dose, usually at the height of the withdrawal symptoms.

The patient may have both non-convulsive and convulsive seizures.. The severity and nature of the attack varies, ranging from a short-term impairment of consciousness to generalized tonic-clonic seizures.. In severe cases, convulsions follow continuously, in the intervals between them the patient does not regain consciousness.. This condition is regarded as status epilepticus..

Non-convulsive seizures are more common in alcoholic epilepsy. They are characterized by:.

disturbances of consciousness;

motor automatisms;

severe dysphoria (painfully low mood).

Patients do not have the phenomenon of polymorphism, that is, once an attack occurs, it proceeds without any changes in the clinical picture, according to the same pattern..

Atypical for alcoholic epilepsy are:.

psychomotor seizures (change of consciousness in combination with motor automatisms or convulsions);

psychosensory seizures (sensation of a flash or electrical discharge before the eyes, ringing in the ears);

absence seizures (short-term [for 5-15 seconds] loss of consciousness).

During a generalized seizure, the phase of tonic convulsions predominates. Before its onset, patients usually develop cyanosis of the skin of the face and upper body.. The attack begins with a sudden cry of the patient, after which he loses consciousness and falls. The muscles are tense, the arms are bent at the elbow joints, the legs are straightened. Foaming from the mouth, which may be pink due to tongue biting. Possible involuntary urination and defecation.

Small seizures in patients suffering from alcoholism are not always immediately recognized by the surrounding people.. The following symptoms should alert in terms of epilepsy:.

sudden freezing of the patient;

pronunciation of phrases that do not correspond to the topic of conversation or a sudden stop in speech;

fixed gaze.

Small seizures are often preceded by precursors:.

irritability;

increased anxiety;

marked depression of mood.

People around usually perceive such symptoms as manifestations of withdrawal symptoms and do not call a doctor to the patient.

Alcoholic epilepsy has characteristic distinctive features in the course of the post-attack period.. So, patients with an idiopathic form of the disease after an attack feel weakness, weakness, drowsiness.. Less commonly, they have psychomotor agitation or twilight consciousness.. Patients with alcoholic epilepsy after an attack appear:.

emotional, saturated with fantastic images of dreams;

insomnia;

shallow, often interrupted sleep;

early awakening.

Complications and consequences Approximately in half of the cases after suffering an attack of alcoholic epilepsy, patients have prolonged insomnia lasting over 24-48 hours. Against its background, delirium can develop - acute psychosis, which is characterized by visual vivid hallucinations (devils, mystical creatures, aliens).

With repeated seizures, their nature and severity remain the same. Changes in personality traits are more consistent with chronic alcoholism than with the epileptic process..

DiagnosisDiagnosis is carried out on the basis of the characteristic clinical symptoms of the disease and anamnesis data. The main diagnostic value is the identification of the relationship between the occurrence of seizures and the indication of alcohol abuse..

Instrumental studies in the diagnosis of alcoholic epilepsy are uninformative. It is usually not possible to fix epileptic signs on the electroencephalogram.

Treatment of alcoholic epilepsy When a patient develops a convulsive seizure, he must be given first aid (move away from furniture, provide fresh air) and call an ambulance.

With repeated generalized seizures, the development of status epilepticus, the patient is hospitalized in the intensive care unit, where treatment will be carried out aimed at stopping seizures and maintaining the basic vital functions of the body. Drug therapy includes taking the following drugs:.

Sodium thiopental;

Hexobarbital;

Diazepam;

saline solutions;

glucose solutions.

In all other cases, patients are hospitalized in the narcological department.. Carbamazepine (Finlepsin) is commonly prescribed as an anticonvulsant.. With the ineffectiveness of therapy with great care and under close supervision, replace Carbamazepine with Phenobarbital (Luminal), since the latter drug in chronic alcoholics quickly forms a pronounced drug dependence.

Carbamazepine in alcoholic epilepsy is used in a short course, since it causes addiction in alcoholics. A stable therapeutic effect can only be achieved if the patient completely refuses to continue drinking alcohol..

Treatment of chronic alcoholism is carried out by a narcologist. The treatment regimen may include:.

pharmacological agents;

group and individual psychotherapy;

drug coding (subcutaneous suturing of implants, intravenous administration of drugs);

hypnosuggestive techniques.

After the end of the main course of treatment, the patient should be on long-term dispensary treatment. If there are indications, he can be sent for a rehabilitation course to a specialized clinic or sanatorium..

Prognosis In case of complete refusal to drink alcohol, the prognosis is favorable.

Seizures usually do not recur, and personality changes characteristic of a long course of epilepsy do not develop.. Existing mental disorders are determined solely by the stage of chronic alcoholism.

If the patient continues to take alcohol, then epileptic seizures will occur more often over time.

A generalized seizure is accompanied by falls of the patient and can cause serious injury.. The greatest danger to health and life is the development of status epilepticus..

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