November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder resulting in unusual neuronal activity in the brain. It is the 4th most common neurological disorder and every year 150,000 Americans are diagnosed with a CNS disorder causing seizures.
- The CDC estimates that about 1.2% of the US population, or 3.4 million people, has active epilepsy and over 65 million people globally.
- 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime
- Epilepsy can begin at any point in an individuals life
- 50 to 60% of children with seizures will eventually grow out of them
Epilepsy effects many of us at some point in our lives, either because we experience it personally or a member of our family is impacted by it.
In 2017, the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) revised the classification of seizures into three primary groups, based upon 3 key features:
- Where the seizure begins in the brain
- The level of awareness during a seizure
- Other features like motor skills and auras
The three seizure types include: focal onset, generalized and unknown onset
Hear some personal stories below and visit the Epilepsy Foundations website to find out more about how you can get involved, and how to make a difference