25 March 2019

Tuesday 26 March 2019 is the International Awareness Day for epilepsy which encourages people to share stories and start conversations about epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a condition that affects the brain and causes repeated seizures. Almost one in every hundred people has the condition, that’s around 500,000 people in the UK.

Dr Cliff Sharp, Medical Director, said: “While everyone is different, there are some general rules for people with epilepsy that can make living with the condition easier. For example it’s important to stay healthy through regular exercise, getting enough sleep, eating a balanced diet and avoiding excessive drinking.

“You may have to think about your epilepsy before you undertake things such as driving, using contraception and planning a pregnancy. Tomorrow is an ideal time to reconsider your choices around these lifestyle decisions or share your experiences with others.

“We would also like to use this awareness day as an opportunity to remind people how to help someone who is having an epileptic seizure.”

Someone having a seizure (tonic-clonic) may go stiff, lose consciousness, fall to the floor and begin to jerk or convulse. People can also experience partial seizures (focal seizures) during which they may not be aware of their surroundings or have unusual movements and behavior such as plucking at their clothes, smacking their lips, swallowing repeatedly or wandering around.

You can help someone having a seizure by:

  • Protecting them from injury (e.g. remove harmful objects from nearby or guide them away from roads/open water)
  • Staying with them until they are fully recovered
  • Being calmly reassuring
  • Explaining anything that they may have missed

For those who are experiencing a tonic-clonic convulsive seizure it’s also recommended that you:

  • Look for an epilepsy identity card or identity jewellery (it may give you information about their seizures and what to do)
  • Time how long the jerking lasts
  • Aid breathing by gently placing them in the recovery position once the jerking has stopped

For any type of seizure you should not:

  • Restrain them/their movements
  • Try to move them unless they are in danger
  • Give them anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered
  • Attempt to bring them round

It is time to call an ambulance if:

  • You know it is their first seizure
  • The jerking continues for more than five minutes
  • They have one seizure after another without regaining consciousness between seizures
  • You believe they need urgent medical attention