The word “epilepsy” comes from the Greek and means "to be taken, seized or attacked" and refers to chronic seizures. Epilepsy, the term is used for recurrent seizures, is one of the most common neurological disorders of childhood. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) define epilepsy as a disorder of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures and by the biologic, cognitive, psychological, and social consequences of this condition (Pillitteri, 2010; Algreeshah et al., 2013 and Barza, 2014).
It is a life-long tendency, though the seizures may start at any time during life and occur sporadically or frequently. Some of the epilepsies are confined
…show more content…
These discharges may be focal or diffuse (Tejada et al., 2014).
Seizures are further characterized as epileptic and non-epileptic. Epileptic seizures are those associated with corresponding electrographic activity in the brain. Non epileptic seizures, conversely, are clinical events that do not correspond to electrographic activity. They can be a response to physiologic event, such as fever, toxins, or hypoxia, or a reaction to some type of psychic stressor (psychogenic seizures) (Dimaro et al., 2014 and Hockenberry & Wilson, 2015).
An epileptic seizure is a sudden and transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms that are the result of an abnormal activity of the brain. Epileptic seizures are the common and defining component of the disorder that is referred to as epilepsy. In other words, epilepsy is the tendency to have repeated (two or more) spontaneous epileptic seizures (Roswall, 2010; Mustapha et al., 2013 and Fisher et al.,