Epilepsy is a common condition in which a child or adult has a tendency to have seizures.
Seizures occur when bursts of electrical signals in the brain disrupt the regular brain activity. They can affect people in a variety of ways. Some seizures cause the person to stare (absence seizures). Other seizures can cause an arm or leg to shake uncontrollably (focal seizures). There are seizures where the child or adult loses consciousness and shakes all four limbs uncontrollably (generalized tonic clonic seizures).
Most seizures stop without intervention. They can be very frightening to the family of the person having the seizure. Often after a seizure the child or adult is drowsy for a short period of time.
The majority of patients with epilepsy are well controlled on medication.
For more information, please visit the following links:
- epilepsyfoundation.org.au – Epilepsy Foundation Australia
- epilepsy.com – Epilepsy Foundation USA