What Is Epilepsy?

According to Epilepsy.com, the meaning of the medical issue is as follows:

• 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

The seizures or fits, as they are most commonly called, occur at any point in time in a patient’s life. They are chronic and if not controlled or stopped at the right time can lead to other health issues and in the worst case scenario, even prove to be fatal.

Epilepsy occurs in the brain and due to a neurological issue, the nerves begin to seize functioning properly and the person may start to convulse.

It is nearly impossible for a tentative patient to be diagnosed with the disorder unless two or more seizures have occurred and a brain scan has been conducted. This is why it is dangerous for an unknown patient to get an attack while in an unsecure environment and away from immediate medical attention. If it is known by the person that he or she is susceptible to epileptic seizures, he or she needs to take utmost precaution at all times, especially when out in public or even alone without assistance.

Though science has advanced in many fields, when it comes to epilepsy, the cause is not yet fully known. It could be hereditary or distinctive to an individual. It can suddenly appear at any time in a person’s life even though there were no signs of it at earlier stages in a person’s life.

An important thing to remember is that not ever seizure that occurs in a person can be associated to epilepsy. There are different levels of it and sometimes, especially if the patient is leading a docile and healthy lifestyle, it might never show. Some people have seizures on a regular basis and need to live within the borders of a sedentary lifestyle in order to avoid a violent convulsive episode.

Epilepsy.com provides some startling facts about the brain disorder through statistics as follows:

• The number of people known suffering from epilepsy worldwide is 65 million
• The number of people on earth who live with active seizures at any one time is between 4-10 out of 1,000
• The number of people with epilepsy who live with uncontrollable seizures because no available treatment works for them is one-third
• The number of people with epilepsy where the cause is unknown is 6 out of 10

These are just the known cases and yet the numbers are grim. This is a serious disorder that can affect anyone, anywhere. And these are just the known cases – there may be thousands of people whose epilepsy is dormant at the moment but can raise its head at any point in time.

Read more about epilepsy here from webmd.com.

Image Source: bostonmagazine.com

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