Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental and physical functions. It's also called a seizure disorder. When a person has two or more unprovoked seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.

A seizure happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part or all of the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their life.

Prevalence:
Nearly 3 million people in the U.S. have active epilepsy. It affects more than 300,000 under the age of 15. A large number of children and adults have undetected or untreated epilepsy.

A Worldwide Problem:
The World Health Organization estimates there are 40 to 50 million people with epilepsy throughout the world.

Incidence:
About 200,000 new cases of seizure disorders and epilepsy are diagnosed each year.

Role of heredity:
People with first-degree relatives (parents or siblings) who have epilepsy are at increased risk of developing seizures themselves.

Age of onset:
Epilepsy primarily affects the very young and the very old, although anyone can get epilepsy at anytime. Twenty percent of cases develop before the age of five. Fifty percent develop before the age of 25. It is increasingly associated with the elderly, and there are as many cases of epilepsy in those 60 years of age and older as in children 10 years of age and under.

Causes:

In about 70 percent of cases there is no known cause. Of the remaining 30 percent, the following are the most frequent causes:

Cause 1

Cause 2

Cause 3

Cause 4

Cause 5

Brain tumor and/or stroke.

Head trauma, especially from automobile accidents, gunshot wounds, sports accidents, and falls and blows. The more severe the injury, the greater the risk of developing epilepsy.

Poisoning, such as lead poisoning, and substance abuse. For example, more than 5,000 persons each year are reported to suffer seizures caused by alcoholism.

Infection, such as meningitis, viral encephalitis, lupus erythematosus and, less frequently, mumps, measles, diphtheria and others.

Maternal injury, infection or systemic illness that affects the developing brain of the fetus during pregnancy.