“Pancreatic cancer has often progressed to an advanced stage by the time it is diagnosed. Many patients come to NewYork-Presbyterian for pancreatic cancer care because of our innovative and aggressive approach. Patients who have been turned down for surgery at other centers have been successfully treated at NewYork-Presbyterian.

The care of people with pancreatic cancer is best handled by a multidisciplinary team of specialists with expertise in diagnosing and treating this disease and relieving symptoms. This is the approach we take at NewYork-Presbyterian.

NewYork-Presbyterian is home to two of the world’s most accomplished pancreatic programs.”

New York-Columbia Presbyterian Hospital Manhattan, NY

“Montefiore is a leader in diagnostic techniques, using cutting-edge fusion scan technology. With this imaging technique, we are able to assess the status of tumors both before and after surgical treatment more accurately than ever before. In addition, we employ state-of-the-art intra-operative imaging techniques that provide a clear picture of the tumor during the treatment itself, so that we can adjust our efforts as needed.”

Montefiore Hospital in Bronx, NY

“To diagnose pancreatitis and find its causes, doctors use your medical history, a physical exam, lab and imaging.   tests. Health care professionals may use lab or imaging tests to diagnose pancreatitis and find its causes. Diagnosing chronic pancreatitis can be hard in the early stages. Your doctor will also test for other conditions that have similar symptoms, such as peptic ulcers or pancreatic cancer.”.

MAYO CLINIC

“November is a month of empowerment, education and inspiration for communities far and wide who have been touched by pancreatic cancer.  In 2021 in the U.S., there will be an estimated 1,898,160 new cancer cases. Smoking is one of the most important risk factors for pancreatic cancer. The risk of getting pancreatic cancer is about twice as high among people who smoke compared to those who have never smoked. About 25% of pancreatic cancers are thought to be caused by cigarette smoking. Cigar smoking and the use of smokeless tobacco products also increase the risk. However, the risk of pancreatic cancer starts to drop once a person stops smoking .”

American Cancer Society

“This year’s flu season will be particularly brutal, experts say. Usually, flu seasons are easier to handle when some portion of the population has a natural immunity, due to getting infected the previous year. But since many Americans spent last fall and winter relentlessly washing hands and socially distancing, fewer people than normal got the flu. That means an above-average number of people are at risk now, especially as more Americans have let down their guard against Covid in recent months.  The best way to prevent getting the flu is to get the flu vaccine,”.

CNBC Make It (https://www.cnbc.com)

“Autumn is here, the coronavirus pandemic is dragging on and — if that wasn’t enough — peak season for yet another infectious disease looms just around the corner: influenza, a viral infection that attacks the nose, throat and lungs.”.

Cleveland Clinic (https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-to-prepare-for-flu-season-in-the-time-of-covid-19)

“Classifying the type of seizure a patient has helps the healthcare team choose the right therapy for that patient.  Seizure types are divided into two major groups that are called 1.) Generalized-Seizures produced by widespread abnormal electrical impulses present throughout the entire brain.  and 2.) Partial-Seizures produced by electrical impulses that generate from a relatively small or “localized” part of the brain (referred to as the focus).”.

Cleveland Clinic (https://my.clevelandclinic.org)

“The average incidence of epilepsy each year in the U. S is estimated at 150,000 or 48 for every 100,000 people. Another way of saying this- each year, 150,000 or 48 out of 100,000 people will develop epilepsy.  The incidence of epilepsy is higher in young children and older adults. This means that epilepsy starts more often in these age groups.”.

Epilepsy Foundation  (www.epilepsy.com)

“When identifiable, the causes of epilepsy usually involve some form of injury to the brain. For most people, though, epilepsy’s causes aren’t known.  A seizure occurs when a burst of electrical impulses in the brain escape their normal limits. They spread to neighboring areas and create an uncontrolled storm of electrical activity. The electrical impulses can be transmitted to the muscles, causing twitches or convulsions.”

WebMD (Dr. Matthew Hoffman)

What is Epilepsy with a etiology; a neurological disorder with a metabolic or systemic cause.  As long as it is controlled like most other diseases you can live a normal life like anyone else.  A seizure is a physical manifestation of paroxysmal and abnormal electrical firing of neurons in the brain.  Think of it as numerous voltage (hyperexcitability of neurons) going throughout the brain meaning brain waves going in all directions with the brain saying its too much activity.  In simpler terms the brain is saying I don’t know what to do, too much brain wave excitability for the organ to register in what to do and freaks out causing the brain to go into a seizure.

Most people with epilepsy are otherwise healthy; as long seizure occurs there is a decrease in oxygen since the brain isn’t capable to send messages during the seizure.  If the seizure continues to repeat one right after another the person is in status epilepticus and if the seizures do not stop the person can lead to a neuronal death;  like John Travolta’s son who died of this for example.

The term seizure disorder may refer to any number of conditions that result  in such a paroxysmal electrical discharge.  These conditions could be metabolic or structural in nature.

For example, if the cause is metabolic this could be “Canavan disease” which is primarily a disease of demyelination.  Your myelin sheath that protects and insulates the nerves is being destroyed and can cause a seizure as one of the symptoms.

*Another example of epilepsy being caused by a metabolic reason is thought to be caused by brain acetate deficiency resulting from a defect of N–acetylaspartic acid (NAA) catabolism (meaning breakdown is occurring).  Accumulation of NAA, a compound thought to be responsible for maintaining cerebral fluid balance, can lead to cerebral edema and neurological injury, like a seizure as one symptoms of the disease.

*A structural condition to cause a seizure could be a tumor in the brain.  Than there is just idiopathic, unknown cause for the epilepsy which if starts in childhood can resolve by the child growing out it, like in petite mal seizures but it not it goes into motor/focal or grand mal that is permanent the individual needs Rx for life.

Remember, etiology (the cause) of Epilepsy can be generally a sign of underlying pathology involving the brain–knowing the cause.  To find this out diagnostic tooling be a neurologist who specializes in epilepsy is the best resource to go to.  The epilepsy may be the first sign of a nervous system disease (ex. Brain tumor), or it may be a sign of a systemic or metabolic derangement.  Where the treatment may be able to resolve the seizure symptom completely where this wasn’t a seizure disorder or epilepsy but just a symptom due to another disorder that may be 100% cured, like a operable tumor removed surgically from the brain.

Metabolic and Systemic Causes of Seizures:

a.) Electrolyte Imbalance=In the blood having acidosis, heavy metal poisoning, Hypocalcemia (low Ca+) , Hypocapnea (low carbon dioxide), Hypoglycemia (low glucose), Hypoxia (low oxygen), Sodium-Potassium imbalance, and than Systemic  diseases (liver, renal failure, etc…).  Then their is also toxemia of pregnancy, and water intoxication.

b.) Infections like meningitis, encephalitis, brain abcess.

c.) Withdrawal of sedative-hypnotic drugs=Alcohol, Antiepileptic drugs, Barbiturates, Benzodiazepines.

d.) Iatrogenic drug overdose=Theopylline, Penicillin.

Other causes of epilepsy can be Trauma, Heredity.

Structural causes of epilepsy:

Head trauma/Degenerative Disease like Alzheimer’s or Creutfeldz-Jacob or Huntington’s Chorea or Multiple Sclerosis or Pick’s Disease. There is also tumors or genetic disease or Stroke or Infections or Febrile seizures.

Come back tomorrow for Epilepsy  going further on etiology factors for the disease of occur.