Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder and affects people of all ages.Epilepsy means the same thing as "seizure disorders."Epilepsy is characterized by unpredictable seizures and can cause other health problems.Epilepsy is a spectrum condition with a wide range of seizure types and control varying from person-to-person.Public misunderstandings of epilepsy cause challenges that are often worse than the seizures.

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder, the hallmark of which is recurrent, unprovokedseizures. A person is diagnosed with epilepsy if they have two unprovoked seizures (or one unprovoked seizure with the likelihood of more) that were not caused by some known and reversible medical condition like alcohol withdrawal or extremely low blood sugar. The seizures in epilepsy may be related to abrain injuryor a family tendency, but often the cause is completely unknown. The word "epilepsy" does not indicate anything about the cause of the person's seizures or their severity. Many people with epilepsy have more than onetype of seizureand may have other symptoms of neurological problems as well. SometimesEEG (electroencephalogram) testing,clinical history, family history, and outlook are similar among a group of people with epilepsy. In these situations, their condition can be defined as a specificepilepsy syndrome.

Although the symptoms of a seizure may affect any part of the body, the electrical events that produce the symptomsoccur in the brain. The location of that event, how it spreads, how much of the brain is affected, and how long it lasts all have profound effects. These factors determine the character of a seizure and its impact on the individual. Having seizures and epilepsy can affect one'ssafety, relationships,work,driving, andso much more. Public perception and treatment of people with epilepsy are often bigger problems than actual seizures.

Facts about Epilepsy 1. You cant swallow your tongue during a seizure. It's physically impossible. 2. You should NEVER force something into the mouth of someone having a seizure. Absolutely not! Forcing something into the mouth of someone having a seizure is a good way to chip teeth, cut gums, or even break someone's jaw. The correct first aid is simple. Just gently roll the person on one side, support their head, protect from injury, and make sure their breathing is okay. 3. DON'T restrain someone having a seizure. Most seizures end in seconds or a few minutes and will end on their own. You can protect the person from injury by following simplefirst aid steps. 4. Epilepsy is NOT contagious. You simply can't catch epilepsy from another person. 5. Anyone can develop epilepsy. Seizures start for the first time inpeople over age 65almost as often as it does inchildren. Seizures in the elderly are often the after effect of other health problems like stroke and heart disease. 6. Most people with epilepsy CAN DO the same things that people without epilepsy can do. However, some people with frequent seizures may not be able to work,drive, or may have problems inother parts of their life.

More facts about epilepsy: People with epilepsy CAN handle jobs with responsibility and stress. People with seizure disorders are found in all walks of life. They may work in business, government, the arts, and all sorts of professions.If stress bothers their seizures, they may need to learn ways tomanage stressat work. But everyone needs to learn how to cope with stress! There may be some types of jobs that people with epilepsy cant do because of possiblesafetyproblems. Otherwise, having epilepsy should not affect the type of job or responsibility that a person has.Even with today'smedication, epilepsy CANNOT be cured. Epilepsy is a chronic medical problem that for many people can be successfully treated. Unfortunately, treatment doesn't work for everyone. AT LEAST 1 million people in the United States haveuncontrolled epilepsy. There is still an urgent need formore research, better treatments, and a cure. Epilepsy is NOT rare. There are more than twice as many people with epilepsy in the U.S. as the number of people with cerebral palsy (500,000), muscular dystrophy (250,000), multiple sclerosis (350,000), and cystic fibrosis (30,000) combined. Epilepsy can occur as a single condition or may be seen with other conditions affecting the brain, such as cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, autism, Alzheimer's disease, and traumatic brain injury.You CAN die from epilepsy. While death in epilepsy doesn't happen frequently, epilepsy is a very serious condition and individuals do die from seizures. The most common cause of death issudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). While there is a lot we still dont know about SUDEP, experts estimate that 1 out of every 1,000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP each year. People can also die from prolonged seizures (status epilepticus). About 22,000 to 42,000 deaths in the U.S. each year occur from these seizure emergencies.What happens in a seizure may look different from one person to another. However, seizures are usually stereotypic, which means the same things or behaviors tend to occur in a person each time they have a seizure. The seizure behavior may be inappropriate for the time and place, but it is unlikely to cause harm to anyone. (Learn about types of seizures.)People with epilepsy are usually not physically limited in what they can do.During and after a seizure, a person may have trouble moving or doing their usual activity. Some people may have trouble with physical abilities due to other neurological problems. Aside from these problems, a person who is not having a seizure is usually not limited in what they can do physically.

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