- What is a seizure? A brief, excessive discharge of electrical activity in the brain that alters one or more of the following: movement, sensation, behavior, awareness. A seizure is a symptom of something else.
- What is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by a tendency to have recurrent seizures. Epilepsy is also known as a "seizure disorder".
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DID YOU KNOW THAT:
- Most seizures are NOT medical emergencies
- People may NOT be aware they are having a seizure and may not remember what happened.
- Epilepsy is NOT contagious.
- Epilepsy is NOT a form of mental illness
- Epilepsy is NOT a form of mental retardation
- People almost never die or have brain damage during a seizure
- A person CAN NOT swallow his/her tongue during a seizure.
- Epilepsy can develop at ANY age
- o20% of cases develop before the age of five
- 50% of cases develop before the age of twenty-five
- Epilepsy currently affects about 300,000 senior citizens nationwide.
- By the age of 20, 1% of the population can be expected to develop epilepsy. By the age of 75, 3% of population can be expected to have been diagnosed with epilepsy and 10% will have experienced some type of seizure.
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Common Causes
For 70% of people with epilepsy the cause is unknown. For the remaining 30% common identifiable causes include:
oBrain Trauma Brain lesions (e.g. tumors) Poisoning (lead) Infections of the brain (e.g. meningitis, encephalitis) Brain Injury at birth Abnormal brain development
Types of Seizures
Seizure Triggers
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Understanding Epilepsy