Epilepsy The prevalence of active epilepsy is 8.2 per of the general population An annual incidence of epilepsy is 50 per of the general population Around 50 million people in the world (1 % of the general population) have epilepsy at any one time.

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, or group of chronic disorders, in which the indispensable feature is recurrence of seizures that are typically unprovoked and usually unpredictable.

What causes epilepsy? Inheritance - genetic low seizure threshold The injury of the brain (due to a road traffic accident, tumour, stroke or trauma at birth ) An infection that affects the brain, such as meningitis or encephalitis

How is epilepsy diagnosed? Unlike most other neurological conditions, there may be no physical sign that a person has epilepsy when they are not having a seizure. Therefore the diagnosis is based on a history of more than one epileptic seizure. An eyewitness account may provide useful information in reaching an accurate diagnosis, as the person experiencing the seizure will not usually remember what has happened.

I. A. General seizures initial stage tonic stage clonic stage recovery stage B. Without seizure attacks ( Absentia epileptica) II. Focal attacks.

Can epilepsy be treated? With the appropriate drug treatment, seizures can be completely controlled in up to 80% of people Some people continue to have seizures despite treatment. A small proportion of these people may benefit from neurosurgery (brain surgery).

TREATMENT FOR EPILEPSY  Drug treatment  Surgical treatment  Complementary treatment

Epilepsy is the most common serious neurological condition. Anyone can develop epilepsy; it occurs in all ages, races and social classes. Labelling people as 'epileptics' on the basis of a medical diagnosis of epilepsy ignores the rest of their attributes and characteristics