Overview
Epilepsy is a disorder that causes a child to have seizures. Another word for epilepsy is “seizure disorder.” A seizure interrupts the way the brain normally works. During a seizure a child might stare blankly, lose consciousness, or make jerky or uncontrolled movements called convulsions. Most seizures last just a few minutes or less, but afterwards a child might feel sick, weak or confused.
Epilepsy affects children in different ways. For some, the seizures are easily controlled with medicine and are eventually outgrown. For others, epilepsy can create difficult challenges throughout their childhood and adult lives.
About 300,000 American children under the age of 14 have epilepsy. Boys are slightly more likely to develop epilepsy than girls. It is more common among African American children and in poor or disadvantaged communities. Click here for more statistics and facts about epilepsy.
What Causes Epilepsy
A child's brain has billions of nerve cells that talk or communicate with each other through tiny electrical charges. If too many of these cells suddenly fire together, a wave of electrical energy sweeps through the brain and causes a seizure.
Having one seizure does not mean a child has epilepsy. Epilepsy is when a child has more than one seizure that was not caused by something treatable such as a high fever or low blood sugar.
Epilepsy can be caused by a number of things that can affect how the brain works. These include serious head injuries, lack of oxygen during birth, a tumor or growth in the brain, lead poisoning, and certain infections such as meningitis and encephalitis. Problems in how the brain developed before birth or a genetic condition (something you are born with) can also cause epilepsy. However, for the majority of people with epilepsy — about seven out of ten—there is no known cause.
Life With Epilepsy
In recent years there have been many improvements in treating epilepsy. New medications are available and others are being tested. There are also alternative treatments for children who continue to have seizures with medication or have trouble with side-effects from the medication. These include surgery, the ketogenic diet and vagus nerve stimulation (VNS). The treatment section of this website has information on all of these options.
Most children with epilepsy live full and active lives. Parents can help to make sure that their children have as many opportunities as possible by learning about epilepsy, educating others and knowing what rights their children have. Your local Epilepsy Foundation can tell you about educational, medical and other services in your community.
