Epilepsy

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is the name of a chronic neurological disorder in which a person has repeated seizures. Epileptic seizures are episodes that can vary from brief and nearly undetectable to long periods of vigorous shaking. There are many types of epilepsy, ranging from benign to intense.

What Causes Epilepsy?

There are many causes of epilepsy. Patients can have one or more of the following causes for their epilepsy:

• Genetic or metabolic disorders present at birth
• Prior infections such as meningitis and encephalitis
• A history of trauma or brain injury
• An underlying brain malformation
• A history of stroke or brain tumor

Who Gets Epilepsy?

There are more than three million people in the United States with epilepsy; most of them are children and elderly people. Many notable historic and contemporary individuals have had or have epilepsy. Some of these people include:

• Actor Danny Glover
• Singer Prince
• Chief Justice John Roberts
• Pope Pius IX
• Professional football player Jason Snelling

Signs and Symptoms of Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a medical condition that produces seizures. Epilepsy is defined as two or more seizures that cannot be traced to another brain event like a concussion or an extremely high fever. The two seizures are usually separated in time by 24 hours.

Helpful Resources

• Epilepsy.com - resource for medical information about epilepsy and its treatments. 
• The Epilepsy Foundation - provides information to help school professionals and other caregivers learn about working with children with epilepsy.
• Seizure Tracker - provides a way to track seizures using online tools including a smart phone app.
• The Centers for Disease Control - more good information regarding seizures and seizure disorders.
• Epilepsy Foundation of Utah
• Epilepsy Association of Utah
• Epilepsy Alliance of Utah
• Drugs.com - provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. 

© 2018 Intermountain Healthcare. All rights reserved. The content presented here is for your information only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, and it should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease. Please consult your healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns.