Informative Essay On Epilepsy

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What exactly is epilepsy? Epilepsy is a condition of the nervous system where seizures happen frequently that effect a person's awareness, movements, and, obviously, the nervous system. Epileptic seizures happen when strong, rapid bursts of energy interrupt the normal electrical patterns of the brain. Then, the person experiences seizures, or uncontrollable shaking, because the brain cells are sending out such strong electrical signals. A normal brain contains billions of small electrical charges that are sending out very controlled signals. In an epileptic brain, the electrical charges are extremely over reacting. In other words, the electrical charges are very spastic. They send out electrical signals that interfere with the brain’s normal functioning, and again, causing seizures. Epilepsy is definitely not contagious. So, there are basically two types of seizures: absence seizures and tonic-clonic …show more content…

But, there are some setbacks. For example, people with epilepsy have to go a certain amount of time without having a seizure before they drive a car. If they have too many frequent seizures, though, they cannot drive a car for obvious safety reasons. People with this condition also have to avoid jobs that involve dangerous machinery, heights, and underwater environments. Depression is also a high risk for people who have epilepsy. So, the occurrence of epilepsy in the general population: epilepsy is pretty common. Six out of 1,000 people get epilepsy. If you want to compare, Von Hippel-Lindau Syndrome affects one in 35,000 people. It is uncommon for ages 0-5 to have a known case of epilepsy, and for ages 6-60+ it is more common. Finally, I think this genetic mutation is negative, because it restricts certain things you can do, like driving and picking certain jobs. It also can cause depression. I have never had a seizure, but I'm guessing that it must be scary for you and those around

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