Epilepsy Endowment

Good news for Epilepsy patients in the West Texas area!

Soon there will be a new program for the diagnosis and treatment of epileptic disorders due to a generous gift to Texas Tech Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) which is directly associated to Texas Tech Physicians. This will enable your doctors to obtain the latest education in epilepsy,� teach other doctors about this disorder, and connect to other medical centers in the country who are working on better treatments for this neurological disorder.

The Crofoot family was the donor for this award and said, "We want all people of West Texas to have access to quality health care for this disease and our hope is that this gift will provide the best in research and treatment for the region."

Dealing with the diagnosis of epilepsy can be hard.

Randolph Schiffer, M.D., the Chair for the Department of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, has good news. He said that about two thirds of individuals with epilepsy have relatively minor inconvenience in their lives from the disorder. The trouble comes when the other one-third resist the treatment of available medicines and need access to more complex care. "The Crofoot Endowment will enable the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (a direct association with Texas Tech Physicians) to establish the kind of academic program (for the enrolled medical students) that has been needed for years in the West Texas region," says Schiffer.

A word on Epilepsy:

Symptoms can vary in those who suffer from epilepsy. These symptoms range from simple staring spells lasting five to 10 seconds to convulsive episodes lasting two to five minutes and are associated with stiffening and jerking movements followed by a period of amnesia and confusion. Schiffer added that some patients only have one seizure in their entire lifetime.