Epilepsy and Seizures

 

EPILEPSY

Epilepsy is very common, and people of all ages can develop epilepsy. Epilepsy is when a person has recurring seizures, so having just one seizure doesn’t necessarily mean you will have epilepsy. For more information on epilepsy visit www.epilepsy.org.uk. 

Most people with epilepsy lead full, active lives, attend mainstream school, participate in sports and have no other medical problems. Many young people
with epilepsy can fully control their seizures with medication, and some may grow out of their epilepsy. This may depend on what type of epilepsy you
have.

SEIZURES

Seizures occur when there is a disruption to the brain's electrical activity. The symptoms seen during a seizure will depend where in the brain this disrupted activity occurs. During a seizure there is a sudden surge of electrical activity, and this causes you to lose control of your body. You may have symptoms such as shaking/jerking, drooling, losing focus, vomiting and other symptoms. Some people may also wet themselves. Some people get a
warning, or ‘aura’ before a seizure, and some people also may feel confused or tired after the seizure. We refer to this as your 'post-ictal' phase.