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Learn About Epilepsy

What is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy is a disorder of the brain that causes seizures. Epilepsy can affect people in very different ways. Some people may have multiple types of seizures or other medical conditions in addition to epilepsy. These factors play a major role in determining both the severity of the person’s condition and the impact it has on his or her life. 

Know The Causes

Know The Symptoms

How common is epilepsy?

About 3 million US adults aged 18 or older and 470,000 children aged 17 or younger have epilepsy.

1 out of 10 people may have a seizure during his or her lifetime. That means seizures are common, and one day you might need to help someone during or after a seizure.

In 2015, 1.2% of the US population had active epilepsy (95% CI* = 1.1-1.4). This is about 3.4 million people with epilepsy nationwide: 3 million adults and 470,000 children.

For questions you have on Epilepsy, we encourage you to visit the CDC's website for more information.

References

  1. Zack MM, Kobau R. National and state estimates of the numbers of adults and children with active epilepsy — United States, 2015. MMWR. 2017;66:821–825. DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6631a1.

  2. Russ SA, Larson K, Halfon N. A national profile of childhood epilepsy and seizure disorder. Pediatrics 2012;129:256-264. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2010-1371.

  3. https://www.cdc.gov/epilepsy/data/index.html

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