World Epilepsy Day 2025: Experts Stress Awareness, Early Intervention, and Advanced Treatments for Epilepsy

New Delhi: On the occasion of World Epilepsy Day, celebrated on the second Monday of February (10th February this year), medical experts have stressed the importance of raising awareness and ensuring timely intervention with new-age treatments and a multidisciplinary approach for epilepsy.

The condition, recognized as the second most common neurological disorder after headaches, affects millions and imposes a significant burden on individuals, families, and society.

Dr. Shivraj Hunge, Consultant-Neurologist at Jupiter Hospital Pune, explained, "Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by abnormal brain waves leading to recurrent seizures. Over 15 million people in India suffer from epilepsy, and 20-30% of them fall under the drug-resistant category. Timely and proper treatment can allow people with epilepsy to lead normal lives."

The symptoms of epilepsy, including excessive jerking, sudden falls, blank stares, and abnormal behaviour, can sometimes be mistaken for typical behaviour, delaying diagnosis. "The signs and symptoms of a seizure vary, so you may not always know what to look for. In certain cases, this can even be seen as typical behaviour. This might cause delays in the diagnosis and management of epilepsy," added Dr. Hunge.

Dr. Praveen Gupta, Principal Director & Chief of Neurology at Fortis Hospital, highlighted that there are various treatment options for epilepsy, including anti-seizure drugs, but noted the challenges in finding the right prescription and dosage.

"Anti-seizure drugs are one type of treatment option; however, it may take some time to discover the proper prescription and dosage. In order to treat the root causes of drug-resistant epilepsy, surgery is also being investigated to remove brain tumours. When the cause of seizures is unknown, deep brain stimulation, or DBS, may be necessary," he said.

Experts also pointed to the increasing access to specialized epilepsy centres, where advanced treatments such as epilepsy surgery and high-density EEG are available. Dr. Madhukar Bharadwaj, Director and Head of Neurology at Aakash Healthcare, New Delhi, emphasized, "In India, several super-speciality hospitals now offer advanced treatments for epilepsy, including resective surgery, vagus nerve stimulation, and minimally invasive procedures, alongside advanced diagnostic tools like high-density EEG and brain mapping."

Dr. Aakaar Kapoor, CEO & Lead Medical Advisor at City X-Ray and Scan Clinic, discussed the significant progress in diagnostic technologies.

"We have made significant progress in diagnostic technologies. A thorough process is used for diagnosis, which includes along with physical examination, a number of tests, including as blood tests, bedside EEGs, video EEGs, brain CT scans, and MRIs. These examinations and testing aid in determining probable reasons and developing suitable treatment plans," he added.

Other cutting-edge treatments such as Corpus Callosotomy and Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) are being used for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. Dr. Bhargavi Ramanujam, Senior Consultant in Neurology at PSRI Hospital, stressed the need to tackle stigma and discrimination associated with epilepsy.

"We need to focus on main challenges such as stigma associated with this disease and discrimination and social exclusion. It is proven that these stigmas and experiences hugely impact on mental health and wellbeing of the patients. Moreover, inability to access insurance is yet another pain point," she said. "Identifying triggers and taking medicines regularly can significantly improve the quality of life for individuals with epilepsy."

Dr. Mukesh Pandey, Director and HOD of Neurosurgery at Asian Hospital, emphasized the role of neuro-robotic treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy.

He explained, "Now neuro-robotic treatment for drug-resistant epilepsy offers big hope. This is an advanced procedure where neurosurgeons implant electrodes to pinpoint seizure origins, stimulating them for confirmation, and then ablating the faulty brain area. We believe this procedure can be a game changer in offering new and advanced treatment."

India’s advanced Neuroscience Centres are pioneering groundbreaking treatments, including the use of neuro-robotic systems to identify and eliminate seizure-triggering areas in the brain.

Dr. Gupta elaborated, "It is clinically established that epilepsy is far more complex than just seizures. We need to focus on advanced, tech-driven procedures and treatments to enhance clinical outcomes. With this neuro-robotic intervention, we implant a few electrodes into the patient's brain through a minimally invasive procedure. These electrodes help identify the exact seizure-triggering regions by stimulating the brain and reproducing seizures in a controlled manner. Once the focal point is confirmed, the faulty neural tissue is ablated, creating a ‘popping’ effect that either stops or significantly reduces seizures."

Experts emphasized the need for creating awareness about these advanced treatments, urging a collective effort to strengthen the fight against epilepsy, a significant public health concern.