There are around 180,000 new cases of epilepsy each year. About 30% occur in children. Children and elderly adults are the ones most often affected. There is a clear cause for epilepsy in only a minority of the cases. Typically, the known causes of seizure involve some injury to the brain. Some of the main causes of epilepsy include: low oxygen during birth, brain tumors, genetic conditions that result in brain injury, infections such as meningitis, stroke, abnormal levels of substances such as sodium or blood sugar, and head injuries that occur during birth, childhood, or adulthood. In up to 70% of all case of epilepsy in adults and children, no cause can ever be discovered. Although the underlying causes of epilepsy are usually not known, certain factors are known to provoke seizures in people with epilepsy. Avoiding these triggers can help you avoid seizures and live better with epilepsy: missing medication doses, heavy alcohol use, cocaine or other drug use, and lack of sleep.
There are three different types of epilepsy and seizures. The first one being, generalized seizures affect all areas of the brain, sometimes referred to as grand mal seizures. The person affected may call out or make some sound, often stiffening for several seconds then having rhythmic movement with the upper and lower extremities. The return to consciousness is gradual and the person may be confused for quite some time minutes to hours. Secondly, a partial or focal seizure only part of the brain is involved, so only part of the body is affected. Depending on the part of the