These seizures occur when there is an imbalance in the electrical activity of the brain. The malfunction may be in a small area of the brain or spread to the entire brain.
Epilepsy usually begins in childhood or adolescence.
About 2.3 million people have seizures or epilepsy. Epilepsy can be hereditary and can be associated with head injury, birth trauma, brain infections like meningitis and encephalitis, brain tumor or deformity, stroke, very high fever or withdrawal from drugs. There are two main categories of epileptic seizures. Generalized seizures involve a loss of consciousness and affect the whole body. Partial seizures do not necessarily involve the loss of consciousness and can lead to a generalized seizure.