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Epilepsy occurs when a surge of electrical signals from one cluster of nerve cells, called neurons, temporarily overwhelm other neurons in the brain. This results in different types of epilepsy and a wide variety of symptoms, depending on the area of the brain affected and how much of the brain is affected.
The there are many types and sub types of epilepsy. These include grand mal seizures, petit mal seizures, simple partial seizures, and complex partial seizures. There is also a type of disorder called nonepileptic seizures, in which there is no abnormal brain activity.
The cause of epilepsy is unknown in about half of the people with the disorder. Identifiable causes include head injuries, dementia, and medical conditions and diseases that can cause brain damage, such as stroke, meningitis, cerebral palsy, and autism. There is also a hereditary link to some forms of epilepsy.
The symptoms of epilepsy vary greatly depending on the type of seizure, the individual person, and other factors. The symptom of jerking, convulsive seizures is not present in all types of epilepsy. Symptoms may also include loss of consciousness or unusual emotions, sensations, and behaviors. For more information on symptoms, refer to symptoms of epilepsy.
Epilepsy can lead to potentially serious complications, especially if it is left untreated or not managed consistently. These include injuries to the head and body from falling and convulsive seizure activity or from car accidents caused by a seizure. They also include drowning during a seizure. Epilepsy can also endanger a pregnancy and the mother as well. In addition, taking certain anti-epileptic medications may cause birth defects.
It is also not unusual for people with epilepsy to develop behavioral, emotional, or social problems due to the stigma associated with the conditions and the potentially embarrassing seizures.
Life threatening complications of epilepsy include status epilepticus, which increases the risk of permanent brain damage and death, and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy. Regular medical care and good control of seizures decrease the risk of developing these complications.
Making a diagnosis of epilepsy begins with taking a thorough personal and family medical history, including symptoms, and completing a physical and neurological examination. It also includes electroencephalogram, which examines the brain's electrical activity. Imaging test may include CT scan, MRI, and a lumbar puncture, which can help to identify or rule-out certain causes of epilepsy.
A diagnosis of some types of epilepsy can easily be missed or delayed because some symptoms are so subtle and can be easily overlooked. For information on misdiagnosis, refer to misdiagnosis of epilepsy.
There is no cure for epilepsy, although some children may grow out of some forms of the disorders. Most people with epilepsy can be effectively treated and enjoy living normal, productive lives. Treatment generally involves anti-epileptic medications, treating underlying conditions, and other therapies. For more information on treatment, refer to treatment of epilepsy....more »
Epilepsy: Paroxysmal transient disturbances of brain function that may manifest as loss of consciousness, abnormal motor phenomena. See free access online books about Epilepsy below. See detailed information below for a list of 130 causes of Epilepsy, including diseases and drug side effect causes.
» Review Causes of Epilepsy: full list
Symptoms of some types of epilepsy, such as jerking convulsions of the body, are dramatic and straightforward and usually lead to prompt medical care and a diagnosis. However, symptoms of some forms of epilepsy, such as petit mal seizures, can be subtle and easily overlooked. These types of symptoms can easily be mistaken for "daydreaming" behavior. ...more »
The following medical conditions are some of the possible
causes of Epilepsy.
There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor
about your symptoms.
See full list of 130 causes of Epilepsy
» Review Causes of Epilepsy: full list
Home medical tests possibly related to Epilepsy:
Review causes of types of Epilepsy in more specific categories:
See full list of 2 types for Epilepsy
Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Epilepsy, as listed in our database. Visit the Symptom Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.
See full list of 2659 Symptom Checker combinations related to Epilepsy
Epilepsy is not curable, but it can be effectively treated in most people, allowing them to live productive, active lives. The goal of treatment is to prevent or control seizures as much as possible. This helps to reduce the chance of developing serious complications, such as status epilepticus and sudden unexplained death in epilepsy. This also minimizes other problems ...Epilepsy Treatments
Some of the possible treatments listed in sources for treatment of Epilepsy may include:
Review further information on Epilepsy Treatments.
New devices may help some epilepsy patients who are not seizure-free after taking medications.
Join our panel of experts as they discuss various standard treatment strategies for epilepsy and the factors doctors and patients should consider as...
In the past, treating kids with epilepsy might have meant using a combination of drugs that had unwanted side effects. Now it's possible for kids...
Deciding on treatment for the seizure disorder epilepsy involves balancing several factors, including the kinds of seizures being treated and...
More Epilepsy animations & videos
Some of the comorbid or associated medical symptoms for Epilepsy may include these symptoms:
All associated co-morbid symptoms for Epilepsy
Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:
Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Epilepsy:
Epilepsy misdiagnosed as schizophrenia: The book "Preventing Misdiagnosis of Women" reports on a case of a woman diagnosed with schizophrenia, but...read more »
Various mental health symptoms caused by rare epilepsy: Temporal lobe epilepsy is a less common form of epilepsy that does not have the typical physical seizures....read more »
Rare seizure-less epilepsy misdiagnosed as various conditions: A complex partial seizure disorder, such as temporal lobe epilepsy can be misdiagnosed as various conditions. Some of the possible misdiagnoses include depression, bipolar disorder, ...read more »
Rare heart condition often undiagnosed: The rare heart condition called long QT syndrome can lead to episodes of palpitations and rapid heartbeat. In rare cases, this undiagnosed condition can be fatal....read more »
Undiagnosed stroke leads to misdiagnosed aphasia: BBC News UK reported on a man who had been institutionalized and treated for mental illness because he suffered from sudden inability to speak. This was initially misdiagnosed...read more »
Dementia may be a drug interaction: A common scenario in aged care is for a patient to show mental decline to dementia. Whereas this can, of course, occur due to various medical conditions, such as a stroke or ...read more »
Mild traumatic brain injury often remains undiagnosed: Although the symptoms of severe brain injury are hard to miss, it is less clear for milder injuries, or even those causing a mild concussion diagnosis. The condition goes by the name of "mild traumatic brain injury...read more »
MTBI misdiagnosed as balance problem: When a person has symptoms such as vertigo or dizziness, a diagnosis of brain injury may go overlooked. This is particularly true of mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI), for which the symptoms are typically mild. The...read more »
Brain pressure condition often misdiagnosed as dementia: A condition that results from an excessive pressure of CSF within the brain is often misdiagnosed. It may be misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease or dementia (such as Alzheimer's disease). The...read more »
Post-concussive brain injury often misdiagnosed: A study found that soldiers who had suffered a concussive injury in battle often were misdiagnosed on their return. A variety of symptoms can occur in post-concussion...read more »
Children with migraine often misdiagnosed: A migraine often fails to be correctly diagnosed in pediatric patients. These patients are not the typical migraine sufferers, but migraines can also occur in children. See misdiagnosis of migraine or ...read more »
Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see ...read more »
Long QT syndrome or epilepsy: This is a serious cardiac disorder which maybe congenital or acquired due to intake of certain medications.It is characterized by the prolongation of QT interval on ECG, in an...read more »
Read more about Misdiagnosis and Epilepsy
Medical news articles related to Epilepsy include:
Source: HealthDay News
Medical Books Excerpts Read excertps from published book sections related to Epilepsy from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Epilepsy. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Epilepsy
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Other ways to find a doctor, or use doctor, physician and specialist online research services:
Rare types of medical conditions and diseases in related medical categories:
Products, offers and promotion categories available related to Epilepsy:
Conditions that are commonly undiagnosed in related areas may include:
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes signal abnormally. In epilepsy, the normal pattern of neuronal activity becomes disturbed, causing strange sensations, emotions, and behavior or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Epilepsy Information Page: NINDS)
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes signal abnormally. In epilepsy, the normal pattern of neuronal activity becomes disturbed, causing strange sensations, emotions, and behavior or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Epilepsy Information Page: NINDS)
Brain disorder characterized by recurring excessive neuronal discharge, exhibited by transient episodes of motor, sensory, or psychic dysfunction, with or without unconsciousness or convulsive movements.
- (Source - Diseases Database)
A disorder of the central nervous system characterized by loss of consciousness and convulsions
- (Source - WordNet 2.1)
Brain disorder characterized by recurring excessive neuronal discharge, exhibited by transient episodes of motor, sensory, or psychic dysfunction, with or without unconsciousness or convulsive movements.
- (Source - CRISP)
The list below shows some of the causes of Epilepsy mentioned in various sources:
See full list of 130 causes of Epilepsy
This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Epilepsy. Of the 130 causes of Epilepsy that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:
See the analysis of the prevalence of 130 causes of Epilepsy
The following list of conditions have 'Epilepsy' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
The following list of conditions have 'Epilepsy' or similar listed as a complication in our database. The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear, and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.
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This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Epilepsy based
on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient:
Epilepsy, primary
- (Source - Diseases Database)
Medical Conditions associated with Epilepsy:
Seizures (2137 causes), Movement symptoms (6004 causes), Muscle spasms (1781 causes), Spasms (1970 causes), Nerve symptoms (8848 causes), Neurological symptoms (9194 causes), Brain symptoms (2165 causes), Muscle symptoms (6876 causes), Head symptoms (9526 causes)
Symptoms related to Epilepsy:
Seizures (2137 causes), Clonus (12 causes), Tics (6 causes), Spasms (1970 causes), Syncope (1590 causes), Fainting (1296 causes), Fits (2137 causes), Frothing, Rigidity (75 causes), Convulsions (429 causes), Antiepileptic drugs
Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:
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