Epileptic fit?

Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which people experience repeated seizures. Let’s start with the basics. Epilepsy is a neurological condition that causes the brain to produce sudden bursts of electrical energy. For the brain to function, there needs to be a balance between increased activity (excitation) and restraint (inhibition). When this balance is changed, a seizure may result.

Causes:
Epilepsy can result from a birth defect, birth or head injury, brain tumor, or an infection in the brain. It can also be inherited. But for half the people with epilepsy, a cause cannot be found. Epilepsy is not contagious.

Epilepsy can occur for the first time at any time, including during old age.

Seizure:
A seizure is the abnormal electrical release of cells, called neurons, in the brain. This can cause different symptoms based on the location of the seizure and where the abnormal electrical activity spreads. Not all seizures are the same. They can range from tingling in a finger to grand mal (generalized) seizures, during which people lose consciousness, become stiff, and jerk.

Not everything that looks like a seizure is a seizure. And not every seizure is an epileptic seizure. Fainting, collapsing, and confusion can also result from other disorders or even from emotional stress. Withdrawal from alcohol or addicting drugs can also cause seizures, but these will not continue if you avoid these situations.

Difference between seizures and epilepsy:
Seizures are a symptom of epilepsy. Epilepsy is the underlying tendency of the brain to release electrical energy that disrupts other brain functions. So the seizure is the symptom of this underlying condition. Having a single seizure does not necessarily mean a person has epilepsy.

Which doctors treat epilepsy?
Neurologists, pediatric neurologists, pediatricians, neurosurgeons, internists, and family physicians all provide treatment for epilepsy.

A neurologist is a physician who specializes in diseases of the brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles. A neurologist who specializes in the treatment of epilepsy is an epileptologist.

People whose seizures are difficult to control have many options and may seek treatment in large hospitals, medical centers, neurological clinics at universities, and from specialists in private practice.