Epilepsy

What do the following people have in common?

• Danny Glover
• Hugo Weaving
• Leonardo Da Vinci
• Edgar Allen Poe
• Charles Dickens
• Julius Caesar

All of them have, or had epilepsy, which is one of the most common serious neurological conditions in the UK. 1 in every 130 adults and children in the UK has epilepsy, which means that there are around 450,000 people with epilepsy in the UK.

In epilepsy, clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain sometimes signal abnormally and this leads to strange sensations, emotions, and behaviour or sometimes convulsions, muscle spasms, and/or loss of consciousness. Having a seizure does not necessarily mean that a person has epilepsy, and there are over 40 different types of seizures and many types of epilepsy. Only when a person has had two or more seizures is he or she considered to have epilepsy, and EEGs and brain scans are used to diagnose this.

If you're concerned about epilepsy you can speak to your GP or call the Epilepsy Action Helpline on (Freephone) 0808 800 5050 (Monday to Thursday 9am-4.00pm, Friday 9am-4.30pm.)