What is epilepsy?
Most often noted as “seizures” or “fits”, epilepsy is a common medical condition arising due to an abnormal activity of the brain cells.
Epilepsy usually affects at extremes of age: small children or elderly. Many children get over this condition with age.
What causes epilepsy/seizures?
The normal functioning of our brain is controlled by certain organised electric currents. When these currents become suddenly abnormal, they may lead to seizures. Such abnormal currents are generated due to damage to the ‘cerebral cortex’ which is a superficial area of the brain, due to:
Head injury due to accident
Damage to a baby’s brain during delivery
Genetic disorders and malformation in the brain
Infection of the brain such as meningitis, encephalitis, and neurocysticercosis
Stroke
Brain tumour
Sometimes, an abnormality of the brain cells may also result in epilepsy, even in the absence of any external damage.