Epilepsy can start at any age, but it most often begins during childhood.

It's often not possible to identify a specific reason why someone develops the condition, although some cases – particularly those that occur later in life – are associated with damage to the brain.

For example, epilepsy can be caused by strokes, brain tumours and severe head injuries.

Some cases of epilepsy may be caused by changes in the brain that occur as a result of genes inherited from parents.

For most people with epilepsy, treatment with medications called anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) is recommended. These medications cannot cure epilepsy, but they are effective in about 70% of people for controlling seizures. It can take some time to find the right type and correct dose of AED before seizures can be controlled.

In a few cases, surgery may be used to remove a specific area of the brain that is affected. However this is only considered if removing the area of the brain would not cause damage or disability.

Other options for patients unsuitable for surgery include the implanting of medical devices to stimulate either the vagus nerve or the brain directly. Like AEDs and surgery, there are risks and side effects connected to these devices.  Current devices often provide stimulation in a pre-programmed manner and are unable to respond in real time to changes in a patient’s state

A ketogenic diet (a diet high in fats and low in carbohydrates and protein) is sometimes advised for children but is not recommended for adults due to the serious health risks linked to a high-fat diet.  A ketogenic diet for children should only be used under medical supervision.

“Epilepsy” is a greek word, meaning “to be seized upon”, with the illness long being viewed as evidence of connection between human and spiritual realms. Documentation of epilepsy can be found throughout the ages, in different parts of the world and in different cultures. The prevailing attitudes to the disease varied with people seen as either being chosen by higher spirits or possessed by demonic forces.

However, not everyone believed that epilepsy was a spiritual disease. Hippocrates wrote “I do not believe that the ‘sacred disease’ (as it was referred to at that time) is any more divine or sacred than any other disease. Because it is completely different from other diseases, it has been regarded as a divine visitation by those who, being only human, view it with ignorance and astonishment.”

The belief of possession by demonic forces led to persecution and social exclusion. Because of this, many epileptics attempted to hide their illness.  However, the disease hasn’t stopped a number of people rising to prominence throughout history. In the UK, the 1937 Matrimonial Causes Act stated a marriage could be made void “if either party was, at the time of marriage, of unsound mind, mentally defective or subject to recurrent fits of insanity or epilepsy”. This was only revoked in 1970.  Misunderstanding of the illness is still prevalent today with beliefs such that epilepsy can be transmitted from person to person. There are a large number of organisations that are trying to correct these misunderstandings.