A disorder causing seizures and fits. There is a sudden and transitory disturbance of brain function with impairment of consciousness and a tendency of recurrence. In about 50% of cases, the cause of epilepsy is known.

It may be a blow to the head, a congenital abnormality in the brain, lack of oxygen, a brain tumour, a stroke, a hemorrhage in the brain or an infection of the brain. There are several types of epilepsy, described according to the nature of the seizures. These vary depending on the site of origin, the extent of the area of the brain involved and the nature of the cause. The frequency of epilepsy in the general population is 1 in 200, with a higher frequency if one parent is epileptic. There are two main types of seizures: generalised and partial