Epilepsy

Epilepsy is considered to be a very spread disease of our nervous central system. It is also a very serious medical and social problem. About 0,5% to 1% of population is affected by this disease. Only in the United States of America around 2.5 million of people suffer from epilepsy. Statistics also says that approximately 9% of US citizens will experience at least one seizure in life.

The cause of epilepsy is an abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Our brain cells send electrical signals in correct order. In epilepsy this signal transmission becomes abnormal, producing some kind of electrical storm which causes seizures. Depending on the kind of epilepsy this abnormal activity can be in some certain part of brain or can be spread generally.

Every person with epilepsy must understand that seizures are not disease, they are symptoms of disease. Therefore it is necessary to diagnose with your doctor not only the type of seizure but also the type of epilepsy one might have.

How epilepsy can be treated?

In most of the cases, epilepsy is controlled by means of drugs. Sometimes a specific diet is also recommended. If medications do not help, surgical intervention may be advised. This depends of severity and frequency of seizures. Additional factors are general health state, age and medical history.