Epilepsy linked with Type 1 diabetes risk

[Bernard]

Emphasis is mine:

Young adults with generalized epilepsy of unknown origin have a four-fold excess risk of having type 1 diabetes, according to findings published in the Annals of Neurology.

...

When they looked into the seven cases of diabetes in the idiopathic generalized epilepsy group, they found that "age of onset, where available, demonstrates type 1 diabetes preceded the onset of idiopathic generalized epilepsy in...six cases."

This could mean that diabetes causes idiopathic generalized epilepsy, or just that the two conditions have different ages of onset.

The team suggests it is possible that some type 1 diabetics develop seizures only in response to low blood sugar or have unrecognized epilepsy with only occasional spontaneous seizures.

Epilepsy linked with type 1 diabetes risk

Another indication that blood sugar may play a role in seizures/epilepsy. Stacy, are you listening

[Birdbomb]

Now didn't I just post something about that? I don't remember if it was on this board or mine!

If you could see my friend when his sugars are LOW, you would see someone in a simple partical seizure.

AND I have read somewhere else that seizures do cause the blood sugars to drop. Dude! let me get back on this one, I have some reading to do.

[J.Lynn]

Birdbomb, I'll be looking forward to reading what you find on this topic.
Our youngest DD is 15 now, and was diagnosed with typeI when she was 4. This past December she started having seizures.
After 11 years of dealing with diabetes, we've seen just about everything;
the non-responsive stare, hypoglycemic seizures, ketoacidosis...
But when she had the first seizure in December, it was obvious that it was different, much more violent and not responsive to a whopping shot of glucogan in the rump.
So yeah, I'll be checking back to see what you've found

[Bernard]

Is she eating any kind of special diet for her diabetes? My father in law has a tough time sticking to the diet(s) his doctor recommends to him.

[archer]

7 ppl is not a bgi study grp it means nohting in scietfic terms

[Bernard]

A total of 518 subjects between the ages of 15 and 30 years with idiopathic generalized epilepsy were identified. Of these, seven patients had type 1 diabetes.

Of 150,000 subjects in the same age group in a general population survey, 465 cases were identified. A significant excess of type 1 diabetes was observed in the idiopathic generalized epilepsy group, with an odds ratio of 4.4.

The 7 cases mentioned earlier were out of 518. It is significantly more than what would be expected from a random sampling of the general public.

[J.Lynn]

Hey Bernard, nice place you have here, I love the decor!

'Rie has been on the Medtronic insulin pump for several years now, so her dietary restrictions are not as limited as they were in the beginning.
Although it's still not a grand idea for her to pig on honeybuns and soda, she can ocassionally induldge with no harm done.

Funny thing, since she's been on Keppra for her siezures, she says she's had no craving for junk food.

Hmm, wonder if I can get my neurologist to switch me from Trileptal to Keppra?

[Elisa]

J.Lynn
I did find that Keppra is much better then Trileptal when it comes to craving sweets.
And on another note my sister in law is a diabetic, and has been since a child. When her sugar levels drop low enough she goes into what looks like a simple partial seizure. It sounds like your daughter is controling her diabeties very well with her pump, which is the same way my sister in law controls hers. So, glad you found us.

[J.Lynn]

Me too Elisa, I like it here very much!

[Birdbomb]

Look what I found....

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/s...2222091&page=1

[kittykat2009]

hi all, i have type 2 diabetic aswell as othor things, and epilepsy my gp and my neurologist have agreed that somewhere along the line it is all linked, not only that, they allso have to be carefull on my meds as some can couter react and actually cause you to have fits? and if this is the case, why havnt medical researchers looked into this to what they can do to help?
take care from kitty

[Bernard]

KK, are you on any special diet for your diabetes?

[kittykat2009]

hi bernard, im not insulin resistant, but check my bloods on a regular basis, and im on a diet with the help of hospital, they have given me weight loss tablets as i have othor medical conditions aswell!! and they are helping and are loosing weight but gradually and slowly,
although i have to be carefull of how much sugar intake as im glucose resistant
take care for now form kitty

[ZappedCanuck]

It's amazing to read your posts. Currently I have diet controlled hypoglycemia which is how every member on my paternal side began and each one became diabetic. I do know that if my sugar drops I'll definitely have simple partial seizures if not complex partial seizures. (If I should turn diabetic....... since nutrasweet is a seizure trigger for me).
What I have learned through marriage is that we just have to keep informing our neuros of our triggers and drilling it into them. I use to think some of my triggers weren't really true because my neuros never heard of them. But, now with a husband as a witness, I have more validity when I see the doctors.
The doctors think they know the script when it comes to our physiology.... In reality it's we who have to educate them. Nothing about E is clear cut. We need to be the educators and the doctors our students.

[Bernard]

So true ZC - well said.

P.S. You might want to look at Stevia as an alternative to sugar/aspartame for an insulin safe sweetener.