Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system in which the activity of nerve cells is disturbed in the brain. This disorder may lead to convulsions, abnormalities, unusual behavior, and loss of consciousness.

Symptoms in epilepsy vary from person to person, depending on where the brain disorder manifests itself in nerve cell activity.

Approximately 10% of all people may have a single seizure at some stage of their life. However, this does not mean they have epilepsy.

At least two unprovoked seizures are required to have a relevant diagnosis by a neurologist.

According to the International Organization Against Epilepsy (ILAE), epileptic seizures are classified into focal and generalized, depending on whether epileptic activity in the brain is in a particular area or at the same time throughout the brain.

At the same time, depending on whether the cause of the epileptic seizure is known, epilepsy is classified into idiopathic (not known cause), symptomatic (result of known brain damage) and cryptogenic (there is a specific cause but cannot be scientifically proven).

Because epilepsy is caused by abnormal activity of nerve cells, seizures can affect almost every process that the brain co-ordinates.

Some of the symptoms of an epileptic seizure may be:

Symptoms vary depending on the type of epilepsy, and usually a person with epilepsy tends to exhibit the same symptoms in each episode.

The epilepsy diagnosis as well as its treatment is done by a neurologist. Detection of abnormal activity of the nerve cells in the brain is done by means of an electroencephalography. Imaging methods such as Axial and Magnetic Tomography are usually used to rule out various causes that may cause seizures.