Epilepsy |
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Other names | Seizure disorder |
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Generalized 3 Hz spike-and-wave discharges on an electroencephalogram |
Symptoms | Periods of vigorous shaking, nearly undetectable spells |
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Duration | Long term |
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Causes | Unknown, brain injury, stroke, brain tumors, infections of the brain, birth defects |
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Diagnostic method | Electroencephalogram, ruling out other possible causes |
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Differential diagnosis | Fainting, alcohol withdrawal, electrolyte problems |
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Treatment | Medication, surgery, neurostimulation, dietary changes |
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Prognosis | Controllable in 69% |
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Frequency | 39 million / 0.5% (2015) |
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Deaths | 125,000 (2015) |
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Someone who has bitten the tip of their tongue while having a seizure
Epilepsy is a chronic condition of the brain. It is characterized by seizures that do not seem to have an obvious cause. To the outside viewer, these seizures show as episodes of heavy shaking. Depending on the seizure, the shaking may be short and difficult to detect or it may be longer.
People with epilepsy are sometimes called epileptic, but it is the fit or seizure that is "epileptic".
Many people have died from seizures.
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