What is Epilepsy?

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About Epilepsy:

Epilepsy — also known as a seizure disorder — is a chronic brain disorder where nerve cells don’t signal properly, that causes recurring seizures.
- During a seizure,many neurons send signals at the same time, much faster than normal.
- This surge of excessive electrical activity may cause involuntary movements, sensations, emotions, and/or behaviors.
- The disturbance of normal nerve cell activity may cause a loss of awareness.
- Some people recover immediately after a seizure, while others may take minutes to hours to feel like themselves again.
Causes:
- Epilepsy has many possible causes, but about half of people living with epilepsy do not know the cause.
- In some cases, epilepsy is clearly linked to genetic factors, developmental brain abnormalities, infection, traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, brain tumors, or other identifiable problems.
Seizure symptoms can vary widely:
- Some people may lose awareness during a seizure while others don’t.
- Some people stare blankly for a few seconds during a seizure.
- Others may repeatedly twitch their arms or legs, movements known as convulsions.
Having a single seizure doesn’t mean you have epilepsy. Epilepsy is diagnosed if you’ve had at least two unprovoked seizures at least 24 hours apart.
Anyone can develop epilepsy. It affects both men and women of all races, ethnic backgrounds, and ages.
Around 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases globally.
Treatment:
- Treatment with medicines or sometimes surgery can control seizures for most people with epilepsy.
- Some people require lifelong treatment. For others, seizures go away.
- Some children with epilepsy may outgrow the condition with age.

Q1: What are neurons?

A neuron, also known as a nerve cell, is a specialized cell in the nervous system that is responsible for transmitting information through electrical and chemical signals. Neurons are the basic building blocks of the nervous system and play a crucial role in processing and transmitting information within the body.

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