Epilepsy affects between 640,000 and 810,000 people in France. However, it is still too little known and patients often feel stigmatized. Since 2010, International Epilepsy Day, held on the second Monday in February, has aimed to talk about the disease in the hope of changing the situation.
Ahead of this day, which will therefore take place on Monday February 12, a first National Summit will take place this Saturday February 10 at the town hall of the 15th arrondissement of Paris. It brings together specialists, public institutions and fifteen different patient associations, some of which are specialized in one form of the disease.
“Rejected is a word that often comes up among epileptics”
“There are different types of epilepsy, with the common point that it is a disease which affects the brain, which disorganizes the neurons”, explains to AFP Norbert Khayat, epileptologist in a specialized establishment, the Teppe in Tain- the Hermitage (Drome). Absence, fall, convulsions, even loss of consciousness, the symptoms vary.
Despite significant progress in treatment in recent decades, one in five patients in France suffers from an “unstabilized” form. And although the chronic disease is not contagious, people with epilepsy feel stigmatized. “Epilepsy is scary”, deplores the association Epilepsie France which claims to “change the look” on this disease and “integrate it into public policies”.
“Rejected is a word that often comes up among people with epilepsy. Because they suffer from learning disabilities, because the care is unsatisfactory, because they have difficulty finding a job”, explains at AFP, Delphine Dannecker, president of this association.
Epilepsy affects 50 million people worldwide
The National Summit calls for better consideration of the specific needs of people with epilepsy. Among the points to be improved, the lack of neurologists in certain regions, discrimination in hiring, and the search by National Education for a satisfactory solution to offer to a student with epilepsy.
Moreover, people do not know how to react when faced with an epileptic seizure. Often, the patient is brought to the emergency room, whereas the reflex to adopt would be to put him in a lateral position of safety to prevent him from being injured while waiting for the crisis to pass.
Talking about the disease is also to facilitate the establishment of a diagnosis and allow good management, which is still very uneven. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy. More than half would be deprived of adequate treatment.
Read also :
Cannabidiol effective against epileptic seizures
Pregnancy: a drug against epilepsy could cause facial malformations
Epileptic man takes on Youtube to raise awareness about epilepsy