November 10, 2017

by: Emily Hastings

Disability Spotlight: Epilepsy

Each month we will feature a different disability represented at UCP of Greater Cleveland. Due to our name, many people think we only serve people with cerebral palsy, but we hope this series will help to dispel that myth. This month we are featuring epilepsy because November is Epilepsy Awareness Month.

  • Epilepsy, also known as seizure disorder, is a neurological disorder where the brain activity becomes abnormal and causes seizures.
  • A seizure is a disruption of the electrical communication between neurons in the brain.
  • Having one seizure does not classify as epilepsy; typically, a person must have at least two unprovoked seizures to be diagnosed with epilepsy.
  • The duration of seizures and their symptoms can vary greatly from person to person. Symptoms can include experiencing temporary confusion, staring spells, uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs, stiffening of the muscles, and loss of consciousness or awareness.
  • Some people with epilepsy experience an aura, or warning, before a seizure. Auras can be a feeling or sensation, a smell, a sound or even something visual.
  • There are two main types of seizures: focal, where the seizure results from abnormal activity in one part of the brain, and generalized, where the seizure involves all parts of the brain.
  • Causes for epilepsy can include head trauma, genetic influence, strokes, brain tumors, prenatal injury, certain developmental disorders and infectious diseases such as AIDS and meningitis. However, six out of ten times, the cause of epilepsy is unknown.
  • Treatment options for epilepsy can include medication, special diets, surgery to implant a special device to control nerve stimulation and surgery to remove part of the brain.
  • Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder, with 65 million people in world and 3.4 million in the United States diagnosed with the disorder.
  • Anyone can develop epilepsy. In fact, 1 in 26 people in the United States will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime.
  • Although UCP of Greater Cleveland does not serve individuals whose sole diagnosis is epilepsy, we do serve many clients who have epilepsy in conjunction with other developmental disabilities.

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