Epilepsy can be caused by a wide variety of conditions that affect the brain. In over half of those with epilepsy, no structural abnormality in the brain can be found. This is particularly the case when epilepsy starts in children and teenagers. Fortunately, seizures will go into remission for 70-80 per cent of patients diagnosed as epileptic. However, the outcome of the condition is very much dependent upon the type of epilepsy and what causes it.
Epilepsy is a clinical diagnosis.
In other words, the diagnosis is not based upon the results of tests, but upon an accurate description of the attacks. As patients are often unconscious or unaware during seizures, it is extremely important for the doctor to get an eye-witness description of attacks from another person. The doctor will need to differentiate seizures from other conditions such as fainting fits or heart problems. Making a correct diagnosis can be difficult, and it is important for patients to see a specialist with sufficient expertise, such as a neurologist. It is commonly believed that this is a diagnostic test for epilepsy.