How Many Americans Have Seizures?

According to Dr. John Chang, a seizure is characterized as a sudden change in consciousness or behavior caused by abnormal brain activity. Seizures are caused by a sudden increase in electrical activity in the brain. Many seizures are isolated events and do not happen again, but repeatedly experiencing seizures can occur without a discernible reason. Experiencing repeated seizures---whether the cause is defined or not---is considered to be epilepsy. Experiencing a single seizure, however, does not mean a person is epileptic.

The Facts

• Many people can experience a seizure under certain circumstances. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, nearly 10 percent of Americans have a seizure at some point in their lives, and they can occur at any age. That being said, it has also been found that children are more likely than other groups to experience a seizure. The Epilepsy Foundation reports that 300,000 people have their first convulsion---or seizure---each year, with 120,000 of those people under the age of 18. Between 75,000 and 100,000 of those who experience their first seizure are under the age of five, with the most likely cause being a fever. About 200,000 cases of epilepsy, or repeated seizures, are diagnosed each year, with the highest levels of incidence for those under the age of two and over the age of 65.

Types

• Though there are many different types of seizures, all of them are usually classified as being either partial seizures or generalized seizures. Partial seizures are characterized by abnormal activity in specific parts of the brain, which occurs more frequently in adults than in children. It has been reported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes that 60 percent of patients with epilepsy experience partial seizures.

  There are two main types of partial seizures---simple and complex. During simple seizures, there is no loss of consciousness. During complex partial seizures, there is a pronounced change and loss of consciousness. Generalized seizures are seizures that involve both sides of the brain and are considered to be more severe than partial seizures. There are many different kinds of generalized seizures, including absence seizures, tonic-clonic seizures, atonic seizures and myoclonic seizures, among others.

Effects

• The area of the brain that is being affected by the seizure will lose its ability to function properly and instead will most likely react uncontrollably. For example, if an area of the brain that controls your legs has a seizure, your legs will shake uncontrollably. If, on the other hand, the seizure affects the entire brain, the entire body may shake uncontrollably. Depending on the type of seizure, the person will react differently. For example, some seizures can result in nothing more than staring and unresponsiveness. Technically, any function of the brain---smell, smell, emotion or vision---can be individually affected by a seizure, but each will not always be affected.

Prevention/Solution

• In most cases, if a person experiences a solitary seizure, he does not need to seek treatment. If, however, he suffers from repeated seizures, he must be treated for epilepsy. Treatment greatly depends on the cause of a person's seizures; sometimes it involves performing surgery on an area of the brain while in other cases it requires taking medication daily. Those diagnosed with epilepsy or other seizure disorders will most likely be prescribed an anticonvulsant medication, which will prevent the brain's nerve cells from firing in an abnormal manner. If the medication is taken regularly, it can help control the seizures.

Considerations

• In most cases, the cause of the seizure is unknown, which makes the seizures incredibly difficult to prevent. Measures should be taken to avoid injuries to the head, which causes seizures. Wearing a helmet during bike riding or other physical activity is an excellent idea. People should also avoid binge drinking or taking illegal drugs, both of which can cause seizures.