Epilepsy in Children and Young People
In the UK, epilepsy affects around 60,000 children and young people under 18. Epilepsy can start at any age including childhood. Epilepsy can start at any age, including in childhood.
Epilepsy is a neurological condition (affecting the brain and nervous system) where a person has a tendency to have seizures that start in the brain.
The brain is made up of millions of nerve cells that use electrical signals to control the body’s functions, senses and thoughts. If the signals are disrupted, the person may have an epileptic seizure.
Not all seizures are epileptic. Other conditions that can look like epilepsy include fainting (syncope) due to a drop in blood pressure, and febrile convulsions due to a sudden rise in body temperature when a young child is ill. These are not epileptic seizures because they are not caused by disrupted brain activity.
Purple Day 2023
For Purple Day 2023, we are joining Epilepsy Action to help raise awareness around living with Epilepsy, including symptoms, diagnosis and treatments.