Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder defined by a lasting tendency to have recurrent, unprovoked seizures caused by abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain.

Seizures vary widely, from brief lapses in awareness and localized twitching to generalized convulsions with loss of consciousness, and are classified by where they begin in the brain and how they spread. Causes include genetic factors, brain injury, stroke, infection, tumors and developmental abnormalities, though many cases have no identified cause. Epilepsy can begin at any age and affects people of every background.

Neurologists diagnose it through a detailed description of events, electroencephalography and brain imaging, then select antiseizure medication by seizure type; surgery, devices and dietary therapy are options for drug-resistant cases. The strongest evidence for cannabidiol in epilepsy comes from randomized trials in specific severe childhood syndromes, which led to an approved prescription medicine, and those findings should not be generalized to all forms of epilepsy.