Some seizures may be just barely perceptible, while others involve a loss of awareness, convulsions or uncontrollable physical behaviors. In about 25 to 30 percent of epilepsy cases, doctors can identify a cause, such as head injury or brain tumor. Most of the time, though, the cause is unknown. Seizures may occur at any age, but most people with epilepsy have their first seizures before age 14. Increasingly, seizure disorders are appearing among people older than 65.
Doctors usually treat seizure disorders with medication.
It may take awhile to figure out the most effective drug or combination of drugs at the right dosages that will create the fewest side effects. When medication doesn t bring the seizures under control, the next step may be surgery. For children, a special high-fat diet called the ketogenic diet may be tried where medication fails. Treating the cause, where it has been identified, may eliminate the seizures, but sometimes those patients need to continue on medication. All Rights Reserved.