Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes unprovoked, recurrent seizures. A seizure is a sudden rush of abnormal electrical activity in your brain. Doctors diagnose epilepsy when you have two or more seizures with no other identifiable cause.
Epilepsy affects 50 millionTrusted Source people around the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) and nearly 3.5 millionTrusted Source people in the United States, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Anyone can develop epilepsy, but it most commonlyTrusted Source onsets in young children and older adults. According to research published in 2021, men develop epilepsy more often than women, possibly because of higher exposure to risk factors like alcohol use and head trauma.
The two main types of seizures are:
- generalized seizures
- focal seizures
Generalized seizures affect your whole brain. Focal, or partial seizures, affect only one part of your brain.
A mild seizure may be difficult to recognize. It may only last a few seconds, and you may remain awake while it happens. Stronger seizures can cause spasms and uncontrollable muscle twitches. They can last from a few seconds to several minutes and may cause confusion or loss of consciousness. Afterward, you may have no memory of a seizure happening.
There’s currently no cure for epilepsy, but it can be managed with medications and other strategies.
How is epilepsy treated?
Treatment for epilepsy may help you have fewer seizures or stop seizures completely.
Your treatment plan will be based on:
the severity of your symptoms
your health
how well you respond to therapy
Some treatment options include:
Anti-epileptic (anticonvulsant, antiseizure) drugs. Anti-epileptic medications can help reduce the number of seizures you have. In some people, they may eliminate seizures. To be most effective, the medication must be taken exactly as your doctor prescribed.
Vagus nerve stimulator. This device is surgically placed under the skin on your chest and electrically stimulates the nerve that runs through your neck to prevent seizures.
Ketogenic diet. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, more than half of children who do not respond to medications benefit from the ketogenic diet, which is a high fat and low carbohydrate diet.
Brain surgery. The area of the brain that causes seizure activity can be removed or altered if you and your healthcare team determine it’s the right treatment for your condition.
Research into new treatments is ongoing. One treatment that may be more widely available in the future is deep brain stimulation. It involves implanting electrodes into your brain and a generator into your chest. The generator sends electrical impulses to your brain to help decrease seizures.
The FDA approved the use of deep brain stimulation in 2018 in people over 18 years old with focal onset seizures who have not responded to at least three anti-epileptic medications.
Minimally invasive surgeries and radiosurgery are also being investigated.