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Commonly known as a seizure disorder, epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition which causes seizures to arise often, and unprovoked. The word "Epilepsy" is named by the Greek. It means to "take hold of" or "to seize". Surgical methods are sometimes used to treat this condition, but medication is the general and more common method.

Not every cause of epilepsy is known to humans, but many probable factors have been identified. These factors include brian damage, head trauma, high fever, bacterial encephalitis, intoxication, acute disturbances of metabolism, brain tumor, and other penetrating wounds to the head. The largest cause of epilepsy, however, is hereditary or genetic.

Any person can endure an epileptic seizure under certian circumstances. The seizures can be provoked by drug overdoses, or in some cases even acute illness. The condition epilepsy, however, does not apply to these people. Epilepsy is defined by recurring, unprovoked seizures, although there is controversy over symptoms required to be diagnosed with the disease.

Only 1 percent of the worlds population suffers from epilepsy according to its criteria, however, it is estimated that there is a slightly higher percentage of actual conditions. Most of this percentage is found in persons under the age of 19, or over the age of 65. The diagnosis criteria for epileptics is widely controversial in the field of medicine. Partial - complex seizures can arguably be considered epileptic, which is why the controversy continues.