Glossary

A

Acute pain: Describes pain that happens suddenly and for a short time.

Adjunctive therapy: A treatment added to other antiepileptic drugs to assist the primary treatment.

B

Blood sugar (also called blood glucose): The main sugar found in the blood and the body's main source of energy.

Blood sugar level (also called blood glucose level): The amount of glucose, or sugar, in a given amount of blood. It is noted in milligrams in a deciliter, or mg/dL.

C

Chronic pain: Describes pain that is long-lasting.

Complex partial seizure: A person who has a complex partial seizure has a change in or loss of consciousness. The person may not be able to answer questions or follow commands. Often the person cannot remember what happened during part or all of the seizure.

D

Diabetes (diabetes mellitus): Diabetes is a life-long disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can be caused by too little insulin (a hormone produced by the pancreas to regulate blood sugar), resistance to insulin, or both.

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN): DPN is a nerve pain problem that some people with diabetes have. "Peripheral" (per-IF-er-al) refers to the parts of the body that are farthest away from the center of your body, like your arms, legs, fingers and toes. "Neuropathy" (Nur-AH-pa-thee) means nerve problems. The nerve damage can result in a burning, tingling, sharp, stabbing pain.

E

Epilepsy: A chronic disorder characterized by paroxysmal brain dysfunction due to excessive neuronal discharge, and usually associated with some alteration of consciousness.

I

insulin: The digestive enzyme that is responsible for breaking down glucose in the blood.

N

Neuropathic pain (nerve pain): Pain that originates from a damaged nerve within the nervous system.

P

Partial seizure: A seizure is a way the body reacts to extra electrical action in the brain. When this action starts in a small part of the brain, it is called a partial seizure.

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN): (post-her-PET-tick noo-RAL-juh) or PHN is pain that continues for 3 months or more after the rash from shingles heals. It is caused by nerve damage from shingles.

S

Seizure: A seizure is an abnormal, disorderly discharging of the brain's nerve cells, resulting in a temporary disturbance of motor, sensory, or mental function.

Shingles: A painful rash caused by herpes zoster, the same virus as chicken pox. After a person has chicken pox, the virus stays in the body. Later in life, this virus may come back as shingles. Shingles usually starts with pain and a rash. The rash usually goes away in 2 to 4 weeks.

Simple partial seizure: A person who has a simple partial seizure stays alert. The person can answer questions and follow commands. The person can also remember what happened during the seizure.