Epilepsy is not a single medical condition in itself. It is a symptom of a range of other conditions that cause somebody to have repeated fits, known as seizures.
Epilepsy is a relatively widespread condition, affecting around 456,000 people in the UK. The condition usually begins during childhood but it can start at any age. Around one in every 280 children is affected by epilepsy.
Epilepsy is more common in people with certain disabilities. About a third of people with a learning difficulty have some form of epilepsy.
Seizures
The cells in our brain, known as neurons, communicate with each other by using electrical impulses. During a seizure these electrical impulses are disrupted, which can cause both the brain and the body to behave strangely.
The severity of the seizures can differ from person to person. Some people will just experience a trance-like state for a few seconds or minutes, whereas others will lose consciousness and have convulsions (uncontrollable shaking of the body).
Epilepsy is not normally life-threatening, although physical injury can occur as a result of seizures. In rare cases, epilepsy can cause sudden, unexplained death. This is known as sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), which kills 500 people in the UK every year.
There are a range of medicines used to prevent seizures, which have proved remarkably successful for the majority of people with epilepsy. Once treatment begins, 70% of people will become seizure-free.
If you have epilepsy, it may have implications
for driving. See the 'useful links' section for how to inform the DVLA about medical conditons.
