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Nursing Diagnosis for Epilepsy

Nursing Diagnosis for Epilepsy

Nursing Care Plan for Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a condition which affects the communication between the nerve cells of the nervous system when there is a sudden overactive electrical discharge in the brain. Epilepsy is a serious condition that affects millions of people across the globe.

There are many epilepsy symptoms to look out for. The largest one is the occurrence of epileptic seizures, which can come in a number of forms. Epileptic seizures can feel like a moment of confusion, a sudden blackout, a sudden change in smells or tastes, involuntary jerking of the legs and arms, and a long, blank staring spell. Epileptic seizures are essentially long moments of abnormal brain activity caused by electric signals that you generate in brain. This disease can usually be treated with the proper implementation and prescription of treatment drugs and possibly even surgery.

A seizure is a symptom of epilepsy, but not all seizures are caused by epilepsy.

A seizure not related to epilepsy can be caused by a reaction to:
  • A drug
  • A high fever
  • A severe head injury
  • Other disorders such diabetes, some heart conditions, and narcolepsy, among others.

Sometimes people have a single seizure for which no cause can ever be found.

Several conditions or behaviors mimic epilepsy but are not epilepsy.
  • Epilepsy is not a fainting disorder.
  • Epilepsy cannot be caused by holding the breath. Some children act out by holding their breath until they faint. This is not epilepsy.
  • Epilepsy is not momentary confusion, forgetfulness, or a lack of concentration.
  • Epilepsy is not catatonia, a specific type of schizophrenia characterized by stupor and bizarre movements.


Although epilepsy can start at any point during a person's life, most epilepsy is diagnosed in childhood, and most of all in the first year of life - around 140 out of every 100,000 babies under the age of one are diagnosed with epilepsy per year. This drops to 40 adults per 100,000. However, recent reports have shown that epilepsy is increasing in older people, who account for a quarter of all new diagnoses, according to a survey by the National Society for Epilepsy. The condition is twice as common in older people as it is in the population as a whole.


8 Nursing Diagnosis for Epilepsy


1. Risk for Injury
related to:
uncontrolled seizure activity (balance disorder).

2. Ineffective airway clearance
related to:
blockage of the tongue, endotracheal,
increased secretion of saliva

3. Social isolation
related to:
low-self against the disease state, and the bad stigma against epilepsy in the community.

4. Ineffective breathing pattern
related to:
dyspnoea and apneu

5. Activity intolerance
related to:
decreased cardiac output, tachycardia

6. Impaired sensory perception
related to:
disturbances in nerve sensory organs of perception

7. Anxiety
related to:
lack of knowledge about the disease

8. Risk for Ineffective cerebral Tissue Perfusion
related to:
decreased oxygen supply to the brain.
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