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Epilepsy

Home > Illnesses and Disabilities Home > Types of Illnesses & Disabilities > Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes seizures. Epileptic seizures happen because of abnormal electrical activity in your brain. Sometimes in a seizure, nerve cells in your brain signal as many as 500 times a second—much faster than normal. Seizures can cause different symptoms, depending on what parts of your brain are affected. During a seizure, you might:

• have jerking, twitching, or stiffening muscles
• pass out and fall down
• have sudden and unexplainable feelings of joy, anger, sadness, or nausea (feeling sick to your stomach)
• hear, smell, taste, see, or feel things that are not real
• behave oddly, such as blink repeatedly, smack your lips, or walk in circles
• stare into space, losing contact with reality for a moment

Epilepsy may result from:

• a brain injury before, during, or after birth
• head injury
• defective genes
• illness
• brain tumors
• some poisons

Usually the cause is unknown.

For most people with epilepsy, seizures can be controlled with medicines. When medicines do not help, doctors may perform brain surgery. In most cases of brain surgery, the region where seizures start is removed.

Most people with epilepsy appear to lead normal lives. Yet the condition can make some aspects of daily living more difficult. For instance, if you have epilepsy, most states will not give you a driver's license unless you can prove that you have gone a certain period of time without a seizure. The risk of seizures can also limit your recreational choices. If you have epilepsy, you should not do things like swimming or sailing without someone watching you.

Additional Resources

Publications

1.   Accommodation Ideas for Employees with Epilepsy - This publication for employers contains basic information regarding questions that might be considered when determining accommodations for people with epilepsy or other seizure disorders. This article discusses the issues that can affect these individuals, offers suggestions for employers, and also includes example accommodations as well as a list of resources for further information.

   http://www.jan.wvu.edu/media/Epilepsy.html

2.   Epilepsy - This web site from the CDC contains links to frequently asked questions about epilepsy, publications, resources, and more. It also links to the CDC's "You Are Not Alone" toolkit, which contains information and resources for parents of teens with epilepsy.

   http://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/

3.   Seizures and Epilepsy: Hope Through Research - This brochure about epilepsy explains what epilepsy is, different types and kinds of seizures, diagnosis, treatment, how it affects daily life, and additional resources.

   http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/epilepsy/detail_epilepsy.htm

4. Birth Control for Women with Epilepsy (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation ) - This fact sheet explores the complex interactions between hormonal birth control and some of the medications used to control seizures. It explores the question of whether epileptic women can take hormonal birth control ("the pill") and have it be effective.

   http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/living/women/hormones/weibirthcontrol.cfm

5. Elderly: Living With Epilepsy (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation) - This publication focuses on senior citizens who have Epilepsy. It discusses some of the precautionary measures that can be taken to prevent seizures, the effects of Epilepsy on mental alertness, mood, and memory, and how this illness may affect one's driving capability.

   http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Life/elderly/laterliving.cfm

6. Epilepsy - This fact sheet contains general information about epilepsy including a definition, characteristics, educational implications, and resources.

   http://www.nichcy.org/pubs/factshe/fs6txt.htm

7. Hormones and Epilepsy (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation) - This fact sheet answers the most frequently asked questions about hormones and epilepsy.

   http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/living/women/hormones/weihormones.cfm

8. Pregnancy Issues (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation) - This fact sheet discusses issues such as lower fertility rates, possible drug interactions, and birth defects related to women with epilepsy, trying to conceive. This fact sheet also discusses the relationship between epilepsy and pregnancy, in terms of whether an epileptic woman can give birth to a healthy child and what she can do to prepare for a pregnancy.

   http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/living/women/pregnancy/weipregnancy.cfm

9. Treatment (Copyright © Epilepsy Foundation) - This internet site contains several different articles on the different treatments available for epilepsy.

   http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Medical/treatment/

Organizations

1.   National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, OPHS, HHS
2.   National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH, HHS
3. American Academy of Neurology
4. Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy
5. Epilepsy Foundation

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated May 15, 2008.