Epilepsy

Canadian Epilepsy Alliance

The Canadian Epilepsy Alliance (CEA) is a Canada wide network of grassroots organizations dedicated to the promotion of independence and quality of life for people with epilepsy and their families, through support services, information, advocacy, and public awareness.

Learn more about the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance.

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Epilepsy is a neurological disorder – a physical condition that causes sudden bursts of hyperactivity in the brain. This hyperactivity produces “seizures” which vary from one person to another in frequency and form. A seizure may appear as a brief stare, an unusual movement of the body, a change in awareness, or a convulsion. A seizure may last a few seconds or a few minutes.

Epilepsy is not a disease. It is not a psychological disorder and it is not contagious.

In approximately 60-75% of all cases, there is no known cause. Of the remaining cases, there are a number of frequently identified causes including:

• Brain injury to the fetus during pregnancy
• Birth trauma (lack of oxygen)
• Aftermath of infection (meningitis)
• Head trauma (care accident, sports injury, shaken baby syndrome)
• Alteration in blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
• Other metabolic illness (hypocalcaemia)
• Brain tumour
• Stroke

Although treatments are available to reduce the frequency and severity of seizures, there is no known cure for epilepsy today.