Epilepsy is typified by recurrent seizures (fits) as a result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. In many people, the underlying cause is unknown. In other cases, epilepsy results from disease or damage to the brain.
In people with epilepsy, seizures may be triggered by things such as flashing lights, stress, or lack of sleep.
There are various forms of epileptic seizure. Partial seizures involve only one side of the brain. Simple partial seizures, confined to a small area, produce symptoms such as twitching of one part of the body and abnormal sensations. Complex partial seizures produce loss of awareness and strange behavior or body movements.
Generalized seizures affect most or all of the brain. They typically cause loss of consciousness, collapse, and muscle spasms, followed by a period of altered consciousness and tiredness.
Many people also have a warning “aura,” with abnormal sensations just before a seizure.
A type of generalized seizure called an absence seizure produces short periods of altered consciousness, but there are no abnormal body movements. Epilepsy can usually be controlled with medication. Occasionally, a seizure may be very prolonged, or repeated seizures may occur without a break. Known as status epilepticus

Othere related diseases

ENCEPHALITIS
This inflammation of the brain is usually due to infection with a virus, but occasionally it occurs as a result of an immune system problem.
It may be due...

EPILEPSY
Epilepsy is typified by recurrent seizures (fits) as a result of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. In many people, the underlying cause is unknown. In ...

EXTRADURAL HEMATOMA
This is a collection of clotted blood (hematoma) between the skull and outer surface of one of the three membranes covering the brain. It is most commonly ...

HEAD INJURY
Many bumps and bruises to the head are minor, but a severe injury carries the risk of brain damage and may even be fatal. A blow to the head may shake or bruise...

HEADACHE
Medication-overuse headache Tension-type headache A very common type of pain, a headache is rarely a symptom of a serious underlying disorder. Most headaches ar...

HUNTINGTONS DISEASE
Huntington’s disease (also known as Huntington’s chorea) is an inherited brain disorder that causes involuntary, rapid, jerky movements and dementia (opposi...

MENINGITIS
In meningitis, the meninges (membranes that surround the brain and spinal cord) become inflamed. It is most commonly the result of a viral or bacterial infectio...

MERALGIA PARESTHETICA
In meralgia paresthetica, there are abnormal sensations, such as burning pain, numbness, and tingling in the outer thigh. Symptoms are often made worse by stand...