Ancient myths of some supernatural power have not been discarded by all. The most accepted modern theory has it as a brain chemical imbalance or a defect in neurotransmitters, those agents in the central nervous system that send neural messages throughout the body for all of our functions. When these chemicals go awry all sorts of malfunctions can occur. Most patients can not trace its origins, especially in infancy. In the older group, tumor, chronic infection or cerebral vascular disease is suspect.
Epilepsy occurs at any age from infancy to old age.
Perhaps in some countries where medical reports and demographs are scant, the incidence is even higher. It is associated with a higher rate of mortality due to the underlying brain conditions, injuries from the trauma of the seizures, status epilepticus, where one seizure follows another without time to recover, and suicides. The syndrome takes on many forms. The seizures can be as brief as a mental lapse or attention gap, muscle jerks or severe convulsions. Timing is unpredictable.