What is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. It is a neurological condition that affects the nervous system, and is usually diagnosed after a person has had multiple seizures that were not a product of an existing medical condition.
There are several types of epileptic seizures including Generalized or Grand Mal seizures in which all areas of the brain are involved, Partial or Focal seizures where only one part of the brain is involved, or Absence seizures, which are most common in children. Absence seizures can often go undetected because they only last a few seconds.
Seizure signs and symptoms can present in many different ways, and do not always indicate epilepsy. An Electroencephalogram is the most common way to test for epilepsy, and does so by measuring electrical impulses in the brain. If you are in fact diagnosed, epilepsy is in most cases effectively treated with medication.
