Overview

Epilepsy is a chronic disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, which may vary from a brief lapse of attention or muscle jerks, to severe and prolonged convulsions. The seizures are caused by sudden, usually brief, excessive electrical discharges in a group of brain cells (neurons). A seizure is a convulsive episode, which starts of as atypical, excessive hyper-synchronous discharges from an aggregate of neurons in the brain and then recruits surrounding neurons to comprise one or both hemispheres of the brain (Acharya et al., 2008). During the seizure the person may experience the change or loss of consciousness, involuntary movements such as jerking, shaking or twitching. Epidemiology of Epilepsy Epilepsy is the commonest serious neurological condition affecting 0.5-1% of the population. Today, an estimated 50 million people live with epilepsy (PWE), 80% of whom in developing countries. Those most affected often do not come forward. Stigma, misconceptions and beliefs attached to this condition influence the open presentation of affected individuals in public meetings. The public health significance is particularly high in these settings because of its high prevalence, its seizure acuteness and frequency, and the sociological, psychosocial and financial consequences for the households it affects. Resource poor countries share demographic, sociological and economic features. They are particularly marked by ethnic, linguistic and religious richness, and their populations are frequently threatened by political instability and economic uncertainties. As a consequence health systems are typically weak and lack efficiency in addressing health needs (Quet et al., 2008).

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