Epilepsy Facts And Figures

  • Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurrent seizures.

  • There are over 40 different types of seizure and a person may have more than one type.

  • Epilepsy can affect anyone, at any age and from any walk of life.

  • 456,000 or 1 in every 131 people in the UK has epilepsy.

  • On average 81 people every day are diagnosed with epilepsy.

  • Epilepsy is a neurological condition.

  • Currently, around 50 per cent of people with epilepsy are seizure free. With the appropriate treatment, this figure could be as high as 70 per cent.

  • 1 in 20 people will have a single seizure at some time in their life.

  • Many people who develop epilepsy below the age of 20 will 'grow out of it' in adult life.

  • Many people with epilepsy are still discriminated against due to ignorance about the condition.

  • Epilepsy is covered by the UK's Disability Discrimination Act.

  • The vast majority of people with epilepsy can take part in the same activities as everyone else, with the help of simple safety measures.

  • In the UK, people who have been seizure free for a year can re-apply for their driving licence.

  • Our website, www.epilepsy.org.uk, receives about 100,000 hits every month.

 

Terminology To Avoid

  • Illness: epilepsy is a condition, not an illness. Fit: The term 'seizure' or 'epileptic seizure' is preferred as people with epilepsy do not always experience convulsions. An epileptic: it is important to look at the person before the medical condition, therefore it is more appropriate to say 'a person with epilepsy'. A victim, sufferer (or similar word depicting a poor, pathetic creature).

  • Grand Mal or Petit Mal: terms previously used to describe types of seizure. In fact, there are many types of seizures so these terms are now considered outdated.

  • We are often asked about the word 'brainstorming' and whether its use is acceptable. Our view is that it depends upon the context: if the word is being used to describe a meeting where participants are suggesting ideas, then its use is not offensive to people with epilepsy. However, it should not be used to describe a seizure or the electrical activity within the brain during a seizure.

 

Basic First Aid for Seizures

DO...

  • Protect the person from injury (remove harmful objects from nearby) Cushion their head

  • Look for an epilepsy identity card or identity jewellery

  • Aid breathing by gently placing them in the recovery position once the seizure has finished

  • Stay with the person until recovery is complete

  • Be calmly reassuring

DON'T...

  • Restrain the person Put anything in the person's mouth Try to move the person unless they are in danger. Give the person anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered

  • Attempt to bring them round.

Call an ambulance if...

  • You know it is the person's first seizure

  • The seizure continues for more than five minutes

  • One tonic-clonic seizure follows another without the person regaining consciousness between seizures

  • The person is injured during the seizure

  • You believe the person needs urgent medical attention

 

Some Facts About Epilepsy Action

  • A charitable and independent organisation founded in 1950 to improve the lives of people with epilepsy in the community.

  • Epilepsy Action is the largest member-led epilepsy organisation in the UK.

  • Epilepsy Action now directly helps over 660,000 people every year.

  • Epilepsy Action's web site - www.epilepsy.org.uk - gets over 135,000 visits per month.

  • Free Telephone Helpline - 0808 800 5050 - and Email Helpline - helpline@epilepsy.org.uk - provide confidential advice and information to members of the public and professionals on many aspects of epilepsy.

  • National network of over 100 self-help branches including several PACE groups (Parents and Carers of Children with Epilepsy) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, to provide local support. Details available from the Freephone Helpline or on website.

  • Has dedicated accredited volunteers throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

  • Offers a range of literature, videos and a CD-Rom covering all aspects of epilepsy.

  • Membership available granting the right to vote for the governing body, and access to regular updated information: from £11 per year for individuals, £45 per year for professional membership, (reduced rates and other categories available.)

  • Publishes a quarterly membership magazine: Epilepsy Today.

  • Initiated and administers the Sapphire Nurse Scheme which since 1995 has placed nearly 70 epilepsy specialist nurses across the UK.

  • Undertakes a wide range of conferences and educational activities each year.

 

  
 

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National Doodle Day is wholly owned by The Neurofibromatosis Association, a registered charity in England (No 1078790), and Epilepsy Action, a working name of British Epilepsy Association, a registered charity in England (No 234343). All monies raised by National Doodle Day will support the work of the two charities.

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