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If someone is diagnosed with heart disease
or cancer it is not unusual for us to worry that they may die
from the condition. In fact, although these conditions are life-threatening
we know that this general risk does not really tell us much
at all about an individual’s risk as many forms of cancer
and heart disease are treatable.
On the other hand if someone is diagnosed
with a long-term condition like asthma or diabetes we tend not
to worry all the time that the condition will be fatal, although
every year there are deaths from these conditions. This is because
asthma and diabetes respond well to good management of the condition
and indeed the risk of dying from asthma has dropped significantly
since medical management of the condition e.g. having an annual
review has been introduced in GP surgeries.
The public is less well informed about the
risks from epilepsy. It is not uncommon for people to be told
that seizures in themselves cannot be fatal. In fact, an epileptic
seizure like an asthma attack carries a background risk that
may be life-threatening. Like any other condition the knowledge
of a background risk does not tell us very much at all about
an individual’s risk. Like other conditions, however,
with a good understanding of a person’s epilepsy and good
management of the condition, risks from seizures can be eliminated
or minimised.
Our leaflet Be Safe-Reduce Risk is an introduction
to how someone with a diagnosis of epilepsy can better understand
their background risk, how to manage it and put it into perspective.
The next step is to discuss this with health professionals who
help you manage your epilepsy.
Click
Here to see side 1 of the "Be safe –
Reduce risk" leaflet.
Click
Here to see side 2 of the "Be safe –
Reduce risk" leaflet.
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