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Summary
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that causes people to have recurring seizures. The seizures happen when clusters of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain send out the wrong signals. People may have strange sensations and emotions or behave strangely. They may have violent muscle spasms or lose consciousness.
Epilepsy has many possible causes, including illness, brain injury, and abnormal brain development. In many cases, the cause is unknown.
Doctors use brain scans and other tests to diagnose epilepsy. It is important to start treatment right away. There is no cure for epilepsy, but medicines can control seizures for most people. When medicines are not working well, surgery or implanted devices such as vagus nerve stimulators may help. Special diets can help some children with epilepsy.
NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Diagnosis and Tests
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Computed Tomography (CT) -- Head
(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
- EEG (Electroencephalogram) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Magnetic Resonance, Functional (fMRI) -- Brain (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) - PDF Also in Spanish
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Pharmacogenetic Tests
(National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
Treatments and Therapies
- Epilepsy Surgery (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Seizure First Aid (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Treating Epilepsy (American Academy of Neurology) - PDF
Living With
- Managing Epilepsy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Related Issues
- Employees with Epilepsy/Seizure Disorder (Office of Disability Employment Policy)
- Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Specifics
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Dravet Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
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Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Genetics
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Genetics Home Reference: autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: autosomal dominant partial epilepsy with auditory features
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: benign familial neonatal seizures
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: CDKL5 deficiency disorder
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: CHD2 myoclonic encephalopathy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: childhood absence epilepsy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: CLN8 disease
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: early infantile epileptic encephalopathy 1
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: epilepsy-aphasia spectrum
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: genetic epilepsy with febrile seizures plus
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: GM3 synthase deficiency
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Lafora progressive myoclonus epilepsy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: malignant migrating partial seizures of infancy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: myoclonic epilepsy with ragged-red fibers
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: PRICKLE1-related progressive myoclonus epilepsy with ataxia
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: pyridoxal 5'-phosphate-dependent epilepsy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: pyridoxine-dependent epilepsy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: ring chromosome 14 syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: ring chromosome 20 syndrome
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: SCN8A-related epilepsy with encephalopathy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: spinal muscular atrophy with progressive myoclonic epilepsy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: STXBP1 encephalopathy with epilepsy
(National Library of Medicine)
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Genetics Home Reference: Unverricht-Lundborg disease
(National Library of Medicine)
Images
- Craniotomy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Statistics and Research
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Curing the Epilepsies: The Promise of Research
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
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Epilepsy
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Targeting Epilepsy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Epilepsy
(National Institutes of Health)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
Find an Expert
- Find a Doctor (American Epilepsy Society)
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National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Also in Spanish
Children
- Epilepsy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
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Infantile Spasms
(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
Women
- Epilepsy and Pregnancy (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
- Epilepsy and Pregnancy: What You Need to Know (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
Patient Handouts
- Brain surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- EEG (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Epilepsy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Epilepsy - children (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Epilepsy - children - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Epilepsy or seizures - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish