Epilepsy is a condition characterized by recurrent seizures that may include repetitive muscle jerking called convulsions. A seizure is a sudden disruption of the brain’s normal electrical activity accompanied by altered consciousness and/or other neurological and behavioral manifestations.

Epilepsy is one of the most common disorders of the brain and can occur in people of all ages. More than 2 million people have had an unprovoked seizure or have been diagnosed with epilepsy, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Most new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed in children under the age of 2 or in adults over the age of 65, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.

Having a single or sometimes even several seizures is not necessarily considered epilepsy. Kids with epilepsy are prone to having multiple seizures over a fairly long period of time (months to years).

Epilepsy:

• is not the only cause of childhood seizures
• is not a mental illness
• does not necessarily affect intelligence
• is not contagious
• does not typically worsen over time

The origin of 50–70% of all cases of epilepsy is unknown. Epilepsy sometimes results from trauma at birth. Such causes include insufficient oxygen to the brain; head injury; heavy bleeding or incompatibility between a woman’s blood and the blood of her newborn baby; and infection immediately before, after, or at the time of birth.

Other causes of epilepsy include:

• head trauma resulting from a car accident, gunshot wound, or other injury
• alcoholism
• brain abscess or inflammation of membranes covering the brain or spinal cord
• phenylketonuria (PKU), a disease that is present at birth, is often characterized by seizures, and can result in mental retardation
• other inherited disorders
• infectious diseases such as measles, mumps, and diphtheria
• degenerative disease
• lead poisoning, mercury poisoning, carbon monoxide poisoning, or ingestion of some other poisonous substance
• genetic factors

No medication for epilepsy is perfect. Like all medications, side effects are possible. The most common side effects include tiredness, decreased alertness, and mood or behavioral concerns, so parents should watch for these and discuss concerns with the treating doctor.

Nowadays, many choices are available and most kids treated with antiseizure medications do not experience worrisome side effects. Nevertheless, discuss any concerns you have with the doctor so that dose adjustments or appropriate changes can be made if appropriate.

Rarely, blood tests might be needed to monitor a medication’s level in the bloodstream or to watch for side effects.

If your child still has seizures after the second or third medication tried, it’s less likely that subsequent medications will be fully effective. In this case, more complicated treatments may be recommended or tried. These include:

• combinations of medications
• a special ketogenic diet (a high-fat, low-carbohydrate, low-protein diet that’s often difficult to follow)
• implantation of a vagal nerve stimulator (an electrical pacemaker-like device placed in the chest and neck)
• surgery to remove the affected part of the brain, if possible. In the right situation, epilepsy surgery can be very effective or may even cure a child of seizures, but overall it is done in less than 10% of seizure patients, and only after an extensive screening and evaluation process.