There is a lot of misunderstanding in the general public about epilepsy and how it impacts the daily life of a patient. According to the World Health Organization, around 50 million people around the world have epilepsy. Yet people do not fully understand it, because of which they may stereotype patients and socially isolate them, or discriminate against them.

In this article, let’s try to get a better understanding of epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a medical condition of the brain that affects people all around the world. This neurological condition is more common among children and old people. It is characterized by the tendency to have recurrent spontaneous seizures, which is a physical reaction to an excessive electrical discharge in the brain. Many people think of seizures as full body convulsions, but they could also be brief muscle jerks.

At this point, it is essential to distinguish between a seizure and epilepsy, as both are not synonymous. While a seizure is an event, epilepsy is the disease which causes seizures.

According to the International League Against Epilepsy, a person can be clinically diagnosed with epilepsy if they have two unprovoked seizures which weren’t caused by reversible and known medical conditions like extremely low blood sugar or alcohol withdrawal.

Although there is no cure for epilepsy, treatment options can range from medications to surgery that can help in controlling seizures in many people. Some people need lifelong treatment for controlling seizures, but for the rest, these seizures gradually go away. Some children may also outgrow this condition with age.

Quick facts

• 1 in every 26 people can develop epilepsy in their lifetime.
• It is the 4th most common neurological condition.
• Men are more prone to developing epilepsy than women.
• New cases of epilepsy are common among children under the age of one and people over the age of 55.
• According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 3.4 million people in the country live with seizures, and 470,000 among them are children.

Symptoms
The main symptom of epilepsy is seizures. Mentioned below are some other signs and symptoms:

• Psychic symptoms like fear, anxiety
• Loss of consciousness or awareness
• Staring blankly for a few seconds
• Uncontrollable jerking movements of the legs and arms which are known as ‘fits’
• Temporary confusion

Causes
The exact cause of epileptic seizures is still unknown for about half of all cases of epilepsy. The other known causes are:

• Infections that affect the brain
• A family history of the condition
• Brain injury caused by trauma to the head
• Some brain conditions like brain tumors or strokes.
• Prenatal injuries caused by infections in the mother, poor nutrition or oxygen deficiencies can lead to neurological damage to the baby.

Treatment

• Medication: People can take anti-seizure or anti-epileptic medication to reduce the occurrence of seizures.
• Surgery: With epilepsy surgery, a surgeon removes the area of the brain that causes seizures.
• Therapies like Vagus nerve stimulation, ketogenic diet, and deep brain stimulation are also effective.