Definition

Epilepsy is a common neurological condition that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures.¹

Seizures can be defined as bursts of electrical activity in the brain that temporarily affect how our brain functions. Epilepsy can start at any age, but usually develops in childhood or in people over the age of 60. Epilepsy can be a lifelong condition, however, it can sometimes improve over time.¹

Symptoms

Depending on the part of the brain involved, symptoms of seizures can vary, affecting people in many different ways.²

These symptoms can range from “fits”, an uncontrollable jerking and shaking, losing awareness of surroundings and staring blankly into space, odd sensations, such as a “rising” feeling in your stomach. Others include unusual senses such as smells, tastes or feeling a tingling in your arms or legs and sometimes collapsing and passing out, where you may not remember what happened.^2,3

Causes

During epilepsy, a disorder in the electrical signalling in your brain causes seizures to occur, resulting from sudden bursts of electrical activity.¹ It is not clear why this occurs, however, there are some possible causes. Such factors include your genetics, as around 1 in 3 people with epilepsy have a family member with it.¹ Occasionally, epilepsy can be caused by damage to your brain, such as from a stroke, brain tumour or brain infection.¹

Seizure Triggers

There are some things which make seizures more likely to occur in people with epilepsy. These can be referred to as ‘triggers’. Triggers don’t cause epilepsy, but they can make seizures more likely.^1,4 A common example is flashing or flickering lights, others can be stress related, sleep disruption or not taking your epilepsy medication as prescribed.^1,4

Further Guidance:

For further product information, please refer to the following link: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/valproate-use-by-women-and-girls.

References
1. Epilepsy. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/ (accessed February 2024)
2. Epilepsy Action. Epileptic seizures explained. https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/seizures (accessed February 2024)
3. Epilepsy – symptoms https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/symptoms/ (accessed February 2024)
4. Epilepsy Action. Seizure triggers. https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/seizure-triggers (accessed February 2024)

Epilepsy Resources

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