Anyone can develop epilepsy, at any time of life.
Epilepsy is usually only diagnosed after a person has had more than one seizure and not all seizures are due to epilepsy. Epilepsy can happen in people of all ages, races and social classes. Epilepsy is most commonly diagnosed in children and in people over 65.
There are over half a million people with epilepsy in the UK, so around 1 in 100 people.
Other conditions that can look like epilepsy include fainting, or very low blood sugar in some people being treated for diabetes. On this page, when we use the term 'seizure' we mean epileptic seizure.
Epilepsy facts and myths
Did you know that the Greek philosopher Hippocrates (460-377 BC) was the first person to think that epilepsy starts in the brain? Find out more interesting facts and debunked myths around epilepsy and seizures.
Epilepsy terminology
There are a number of common misconceptions surrounding epilepsy and epilepsy terminology.
Coming to terms with epilepsy
People can feel differently about their diagnosis; some people come to terms with it quickly, some take longer, and some feel that epilepsy will always be an ongoing issue for them.
Associated conditions
Hemiplegia
At least one in five of children with hemiplegia also has epilepsy.
Non-epileptic seizures and dissociative seizures
Non-epileptic seizures (NES) or dissociative seizures may look similar to epileptic seizures but they are not caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain.This guide will help you understand what non-epileptic seizures are, what causes them, how they are diagnosed and how they can be treated.
Learning disabilities
Information about seizures and treatment for people with epilepsy and learning disability.
Epilepsy auras
An 'aura' is the term that some people use to describe the warning they feel before they have a tonic clonic seizure. An epilepsy 'aura' is in fact a focal aware seizure.
Seizure types
In March 2017 the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), a group of the world's leading epilepsy professionals, introduced a new method to group seizures. This gives doctors a more accurate way to describe a person's seizures, and helps them to prescribe the most appropriate treatments.
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Epileptic seizures
There are many different types of epileptic seizure. Any of us could potentially have a single epileptic seizure at some point in our lives. This is not the same as having epilepsy, which is a tendency to have seizures that start in the brain.
Fundraising
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Information produced: January 2019
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