Epilepsy

Epilepsy affects about 50 million people around the world and is the most common serious neurological condition.

Patients with epilepsy have recurrent seizures because there is too much electrical activity in part of their brain (partial or focal epilepsy) or all of their brain (generalised epilepsy). Seizures can take many forms including loss of feeling, muscle spasms, abnormal movements, brief or more prolonged change or loss of consciousness.

Epilepsy usually occurs in neonates or young children however it can start in adults too, affecting those aged over 65 years (usually after a head injury, brain tumour or a stroke). In six out of 10 new cases of epilepsy, the cause of the disease is not known.

Epilepsy itself can cause brain damage or even be fatal.

That’s why it’s so important to get effective treatment for epilepsy.

In many cases epilepsy is not well understood. Even today if you have epilepsy, it can happen that people avoid you and it can be difficult to make friends, get a job or find a place to live.

Treating Epilepsy

The ultimate goal of epilepsy treatment is to become free of seizures. With the appropriate antiepileptic treatment 7 out of 10 people with epilepsy could be seizure free.

Seizures result from an electrochemical disorder in the brain. All antiepileptic drugs aim to restore the imbalance of “neurotransmitters” (chemicals) in the brain cells that leads to excessive electrical activity and seizures. They do this in different ways. Many people with epilepsy need to take more than one drug to control their seizures.

Some of the old generation antiepileptic drugs can cause serious side effects. Some of the newer generation antiepileptic drugs have fewer side effects.

To find out if they are taking the right drug, people with epilepsy should see a specialist at least once a year. By doing this, they can stay in control of their seizures – and their lives.