Epilepsy is the most common serious brain disorder. The condition encompasses a range of functional disorders of the brain, the common characteristic of which is a series of repetitive unprovoked seizures.

There are many different types of seizures. Most epileptic seizures last somewhere between a few seconds and a few minutes. These may be single and isolated or may occur in a series of seizures.

Epilepsy is the name given to recurrent or repeated seizures i.e. where someone has been medically diagnosed as having  two or more repeated “seizures” and is currently defined as a tendency to have recurrent seizures. A seizure is caused by abnormal excessive electric discharges,  a sudden burst of excess electrical activity in the brain, causing a temporary disruption in the normal message passing between brain cells. This disruption results in the brain’s messages becoming halted or mixed up.

The brain is responsible for all the functions of your body, so what you experience during a seizure will depend on where in your brain the epileptic activity begins and how widely and rapidly it spreads. For this reason, there are many different types of seizure and each person will experience epilepsy in a way that is unique to them.

Epilepsy can develop in anyone at any age. It can result from alcohol abuse, drugs, or other toxic substances. Epilepsy can result from malarial and tubercular infections. In some parts of Asia, consumption of food infested with tapeworm eggs is a major cause of Epilepsy. Brain damage caused by head injury, trauma, infections, vascular disease, and tumours are other causes.

There are cases however, where no cause can be found.

Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent neurological conditions in the world. In Hong Kong it is believed to occur in approximately 1 in 69 people and affect an estimated one family in every 23 at any time. lt is a disorder that affects people in every country throughout the world. It is one of the oldest conditions known to humankind.

What Causes Epilepsy?

Epilepsy can be caused by a number of things:

* Brain damage due to birth trauma, lack of oxygen and also secondary cerebral palsy.

* Through infectious diseases and fevers such as meningitis and encephalitis.

* By benign or malignant tumours.

* By scarred brain tissue resulting from a head injury.

* Genetic conditions such as tuberous sclerosis and Cardio-vascular disease.

*  In many cases there is no known cause why a person has epilepsy.  In this case the person is said to have ‘idiopathic’ epilepsy.

*  Individuals do have different thresholds of resistance to chemical imbalances in the brain.

*  Once the diagnosis is made, every effort should be made to help the person and the family understand the condition.

 DID YOU KNOW? Pets can have epilepsy!