• Epilepsy can be caused by anything that interferes with electrochemical activity in the brain. In most cases, the cause is unknown.
  
  
• About 2.5 million Americans have epilepsy and 200,000 more are diagnosed with the disorder every year.
  
  
• Ten percent of the American population will experience a seizure in their lifetime.
  
  
• Epilepsy is a disorder or syndrome, not a disease. It is not a mental illness or psychiatric problem.  Epilepsy is not infectious or contagious.
  
  
• A single seizure does not necessarily mean you have epilepsy. Doctors give a diagnosis of epilepsy only after a person has had two or more seizures.
  
  
• Epilepsy can affect people of all ages, intelligence levels, and from all racial and social backgrounds.
  
  
• The major form of treatment is long-term drug therapy. Drugs are not a cure and can have side effects.
  
  
• With the appropriate treatment, up to 70% of people with epilepsy could be seizure free.
  
  
• Many children with epilepsy will outgrow it.
  
  
• Most seizures end in seconds or a couple of minutes and are easily dealt with.
  
  
• Epilepsy is most common in young children and older adults, though anyone can develop epilepsy at any stage of life.

 *Quick Facts have been reviewed by medical experts working with Second Opinion and are current as of September, 2005.