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Treatment: PrognosisMost people with epilepsy lead outwardly normal lives. While epilepsy currently cannot be cured, for some people it does eventually go away. Most seizures do not cause brain damage. It is not uncommon for people with epilepsy, especially children, to develop behavioral and emotional problems, sometimes the consequence of embarrassment and frustration or bullying, teasing, or avoidance in school and other social settings. For many people with epilepsy, the risk of seizures restricts their independence (some states refuse drivers licenses to people with epilepsy) and recreational activities. People with epilepsy are at special risk for two life-threatening conditions: Status Epilepticus and Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP). Most women with epilepsy can become pregnant, but they should discuss their epilepsy and the medications they are taking with their doctors. Women with epilepsy have a 90 percent or better chance of having a normal, healthy baby. * Foundation for Better Health Care
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50 percent of U.S. Vietnam War veterans with penetrating brain injuries developed epilepsy within one to 15 years post-trauma. The incidence of post-traumatic epilepsy is expected to increase among Iraq War veterans since they are exposed to more harmful explosives. Brien J. Smith, director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program of the Henry Ford Hospital |