Managing Epilepsy and Neurological Disorders During Seasonal Changes

Table of Contents

1. Epilepsy and Seasonal Changes
2. What About Other Neurological Conditions?
3. When Does Epilepsy Need Further Evaluation?
4. Neurological Care at STAR Hospitals
5. When Should You Seek Urgent Help?

The weather does not cause epilepsy, but a change in season can sometimes make managing an existing neurological condition a little less straightforward. For someone living with epilepsy, disrupted sleep, fever or infection, dehydration, missed medication and changes in daily routine may increase the likelihood of a seizure. Similar practical concerns can matter for people living with migraines, movement disorders and other chronic neurological conditions.

This is very relevant in India, where the shift between hot summers, monsoons and cooler months can bring fairly marked changes in temperature, humidity, sleep patterns and exposure to infections. The useful approach is to pay attention to what changes with the season rather than assuming that the weather itself is the problem.

Epilepsy and Seasonal Changes

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterised by a tendency to have recurrent unprovoked seizures. A seizure occurs because of abnormal electrical activity in the brain, but the factors surrounding an episode can vary considerably from one person to another.

During hotter months, dehydration, excessive heat and disturbed sleep can make some people feel more vulnerable to seizures. During the monsoon and winter, respiratory or other infections may bring fever and poor sleep, while changes in routine can sometimes lead to missed medicines.

A few habits are especially worth maintaining throughout the year:

• Take anti-seizure medicines at the prescribed dose and time; do not stop them because seizures have been absent for some time.
• Drink enough fluids, particularly during hot weather or when fever, vomiting or diarrhoea is present.
• Keep sleep timings as regular as possible.
• If an illness causes persistent fever or significantly disrupts your routine, speak to your doctor.
• Keep a record of seizures and any circumstances around them. Patterns involving sleep, illness, missed medication or other possible triggers can be useful during follow-up.
• Follow appropriate safety precautions around swimming, heights, open flames and driving.

A seasonal change is therefore a good reason to review routines, rather than a reason to alter medication independently.

What About Other Neurological Conditions?

The same practical concerns can extend beyond epilepsy. People with migraine, for instance, may notice headaches becoming more troublesome when sleep, hydration, meals or exposure to heat and environmental triggers change. Someone with a movement disorder may find that illness or a disrupted routine affects mobility or medication schedules.

Neurological symptoms should also not automatically be attributed to the weather. A new seizure, persistent weakness, sudden difficulty speaking, severe unexplained headache, confusion or loss of consciousness warrants medical assessment rather than being put down to a seasonal change.

When Does Epilepsy Need Further Evaluation?

Some people achieve good seizure control with medication and regular follow-up. Others continue to experience seizures despite appropriate treatment. In such cases, the next step is not simply to keep adding medicines without understanding where the seizures are coming from.

Specialist evaluation may involve:

• EEG to assess the brain's electrical activity
• Long-term video EEG monitoring to capture and correlate seizures with brain activity
• MRI of the brain to look for structural causes
• Review of seizure history, medication response and other neurological findings
• Assessment for epilepsy surgery or neurostimulation in carefully selected patients whose seizures remain uncontrolled

At STAR Hospitals, the neurology and neurosurgery services include dedicated facilities for epilepsy evaluation, including high-density EEG, long-term video monitoring and 3T MRI. Its neurosurgery service also lists a video EEG epilepsy monitoring unit, invasive monitoring and facilities for epilepsy surgery.

Neurological Care at STAR Hospitals

STAR Hospitals' Department of Neurology manages epilepsy, stroke, movement disorders, dementia, migraine, nerve and muscle diseases, demyelinating disorders and autoimmune neurological conditions, among others. The department has a dedicated electrophysiology laboratory and offers investigations including EEG, nerve conduction studies and EMG.

Depending on the condition, STAR's neurological services include:

• Epilepsy and seizure management, including treatment of status epilepticus
• EEG and other electrophysiological investigations
• Advanced brain imaging, including MRI and CT
• Long-term video EEG monitoring for selected epilepsy patients
• Epilepsy surgery evaluation and surgical care where appropriate
• Management of migraines, movement disorders and nerve and muscle diseases
• Neurological rehabilitation, including physiotherapy, cognitive rehabilitation and vestibular therapy
• Neurosurgical care when a neurological condition requires an operation
• 24/7 neuro-emergency and critical care for serious neurological conditions

For patients whose seizures remain difficult to control, STAR Hospitals recommends vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) as a treatment option when medication is insufficient, and surgery may not be suitable.

When Should You Seek Urgent Help?

A seizure lasting five minutes or longer, repeated seizures without recovery between them, significant breathing difficulty, serious injury or a seizure occurring in water requires emergency medical attention. A first-ever seizure should also be assessed promptly.

Seasonal changes may alter routines, but epilepsy and neurological disorders still need year-round management. Keeping medicines consistent, protecting sleep and hydration, dealing with infections promptly and staying in regular contact with a neurologist can help prevent a change in weather from becoming a change in neurological health.

Book an appointment today to learn more.