EPILEPSY DEFINITION

The brain is a very specialised organ, composed of millions of nerve cells called neurones. It receives and processes messages from all parts of the body and sends out messages that control many of the body’s functions such as movement, sensations, memory, intelligence, mood and consciousness. Any of these functions may be temporarily disturbed during an epileptic seizure.

In epilepsy normal brain activity is temporarily disrupted, resulting in rapid alternating contractions and relaxations of muscles causing irregular movements of the limbs often accompanied by unconsciousness. This is called a seizure (also referred to as a fit or an attack).

Famous people in history with epilepsy include Julius Caesar, Pope Pius XI, writer and philosopher Fydor Dostoevsky and the poet Lord Byron.

Epilepsy is the world’s most common - yet treatable - neurological disorder; 50 million people worldwide are affected. The disorder is more common among men. About 50 percent of people who develop epilepsy do so before the age of 15 years. The incidence increases again after the age of 65 years.