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Epilepsy - Background information
What is it?
- An epileptic seizure is the transient occurrence of signs or symptoms due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain [Fisher et al, 2005]. This manifests itself as a disturbance of consciousness, behaviour, emotion, motor function, or sensation.
- Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to epileptic seizures [Fisher et al, 2005].
- Epileptic seizures, that are not of primary cerebral origin, may occur in people who do not have epilepsy if they are exposed to a transient noxious stimulus, such as hypoxia or hypoglycaemia, caused by a disorder originating outside of the brain.
- Epilepsy is not a single condition — there are at least 30 different epilepsy syndromes distinguished by their seizure types, age of onset, family history, neurological findings, brain scan results, the electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern, and their cause [Joint Epilepsy Council, 2005; Appleton et al, 2007].
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