Many People with Epilepsy have more than one condition. If more physicians became aware of and understood how often adults with epilepsy reported other medical conditions, these physicians could then screen, diagnose, and treat these conditions to prevent complications in patients with epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a group of disorders all involving recurring seizures but of different types, causes, and severity. Epilepsy affects about 2.3 million U.S. adults. Adults with epilepsy more often report other conditions affecting the heart, lungs, skin, joints, and stomach, as well as pain complications compared to people without epilepsy.
If more physicians became aware of and understood how often adults with epilepsy reported these medical conditions, physicians could then screen, diagnose, and treat these conditions to prevent complications in patients with epilepsy. Physicians can also work with other healthcare providers, public health agencies, the Epilepsy Foundation, and other groups to ensure that adults with epilepsy can manage their epilepsy.
] In many cases a cause of Epilepsy cannot be identified; however, factors that are associated include brain trauma, strokes, brain cancer, and drug and alcohol misuse among others.
Nearly 80% of epilepsy occurs in developing countries. Epilepsy becomes more common as people age. Onset of new cases occurs most frequently in infants and the elderly. Epileptic seizures may occur in recovering patients as a consequence of brain surgery.
Epilepsy is usually controlled, but not cured, with medication. However, more than 30% of people with epilepsy do not have seizure control even with the best available medications. Surgery may be considered in difficult cases Not all epilepsy syndromes are lifelong – some forms are confined to particular stages of childhood. Epilepsy should not be understood as a single disorder, but rather as syndromic with vastly divergent symptoms, all involving episodic abnormal electrical activity in the brain and numerous seizures.
Source CDC
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