What is the percentage of people getting epilepsy? Also, how rare is it to have one? How long does it take to develop? Please help thank you so much!
Tags: neurological disorders, Epilepsy, Conditions and Diseases, percentage, University of ReadingEpilepsy ?
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Approx. 2.5 million people in the U.S. have Epilepsy. The seizures that they have are extremely varied in both number and intensity. And there are several different types. It can becaused by several different ways. Truma to the head. Shock. And in my case they have no idea what was the reason it started. Some can have there seizures controlled comepletely through medication but not all. Mine started when I was 6 and I still have it and I’m 57 now.
Percentage? No idea, develop one? It’s a condition that reoccurs so you don’t get it just once. Epilepsy is a malfunction of the brains ability to control energy impulses. Something triggers the brain to let the floodgate open on electrical impulses and flood the receptors with an overwhelming, uncontrolled stimulation. This causes a seizure that can vary in intensity, petite mal, grand mal. An epileptic will often sleep for hours after a seizure. Seizures can be controlled by drugs or sometimes brain surgery is needed in severe cases where daily life is disrupted.
Epilepsy can develop in any person at any age. 0.5% to 2% of people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime. People with certain conditions may be at greater risk.
About 2.7 million Americans have been treated for epilepsy in the past 5 years. That’s 8 or 9 out of every 1,000 people. In other words, out of 60,000 people filling a big stadium, about 500 have epilepsy. More men than women have epilepsy.
When are people most likely to get epilepsy?
New cases of epilepsy are most common among children, especially during the first year of life. The rate of new cases gradually declines until about age 10, and then becomes stable. After age 55 or 60, the rate starts to increase, as people develop strokes, brain tumors, or Alzheimer’s disease. (All of these disorders can cause epilepsy.)
I got this from
I would also like to add a little personal blurb b/c I have epilepsy myself. There are numerous types of epilepsies. Even if you have it, it isn’t always so bad. I have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy and have had three seizures before being placed on medication. In this type of seizure, you are more likely to have little jerks than big seizures. They are not very noticable or embarassing either. It is the most common and makes up 7% of epilepsy cases. However, there are worse cases. My friend’d brother, for example, had 6 seizures in one night. This is not common. Also, many types of epilepsy can go away if you are put on medication and do not have seizures for a few years. The website is a lot more detailed than what I have to say, but I hope this helps a little. Epilepsy, like every other health problem sucks, but it is not always as terrible as one would imagine. I’m doing well in school and am now applying to grad schools to receive a Ph.D. If you are lucky enough to not get the worst case scenerio and if you just adjust your life a little, it isn’t so bad.
I’m 22 and didn’t have my first one until 19.
I developed epilepsy because of a separate neurological condition (hydrocephalus). If you have epilepsy, or you are worried about a neurological condition, talk to a neurologist. If a neurologist isn’t locally available, talk to your general physician.
Epilepsy isn’t a condition that you can “catch” from someone else. (It’s not a virus, or bacteria.) It may look scary to someone witnessing the seizure, but to someone who is having the seizure, usually that person doesn’t remember anything of the event. For more information, please visit http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/ or http://epilepsy.com/
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