Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/862068
EPILEP SY CA N BE a "hidden" hea lth problem. First, it is di¡cult and often slow to diagnose since many other neu- rologic disorders, which produce similar bellwether cha nges in behavior, ca n be confused with epilepsy. And, since seizures — a key manifestation — rarely happen in a doctor's o¡ce, information given to the physician by the patient and their family about events is extremely impor ta nt . Yet , even w it h accurate descriptions of symptoms a nd signs, other tests, some requiring an in-patient hospita l stay, are needed to learn more about the seizure types, what is caus- ing the events, and where the problem is located. La stly, ma ny indiv idua ls suŠering from epilepsy have their lives limited by the eŠects of the disorder, ma king the hea lth problem even less visible to the outside world. Ho we ver, epi lep s y i s a g r o w i n g d i s o r d e r t h a t a f f e c t s m a n y. T h e Epilepsy Foundation estimates that more than 2.2 million Americans are cu r rent ly l iv i n g w it h t he d i sorder, a nd 150,0 0 0 new ca ses of epi leps y a re dia g nosed in the US ever y yea r. A c c or d i n g t o a 2 010 s t ud y b y t he Institute of Medicine, epilepsy is the 4th most common neurologica l problem. Only migraine, stroke, and Alzheimer's disease occur more frequently. Fortunately, physicians in Akron and the surrounding areas now have access to state-of-the-a r t epilepsy ca re for their patients through the new Adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at Cleveland Clinic A kron Genera l. WORLD CLASS EPILEPSY CARE Now at Cleveland Clinic Akron General An Adult Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) at Cleveland Clinic Akron General opened last year. Shown here are team members Camille Goldberg, RN, and Gregory Bilowsky, RN, CNRN. BY NEIL ALLEN PHOTO BY KEN LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY, COPLEY, OH 0 6❱❱❱❱❱ C O V E R S T O R Y