What is = Epilepsy

What=20 is Epilepsy?

Epilepsy = is a=20 medical condition that produces seizures affecting a variety of mental = and=20 physical functions. It=92s also called a seizure=20 disorder. When a = person=20 has two or more seizures, they are considered to have epilepsy.

A = seizure=20 happens when a brief, strong surge of electrical activity affects part = or all of=20 the brain. One in 10 adults will have a seizure sometime during their=20 life.

Seizures = can last=20 from a few seconds to a few minutes. They can have many symptoms, from=20 convulsions and loss of consciousness to some that are not always = recognized as=20 seizures by the person experiencing them or by = health care=20 professionals: blank staring, lip smacking, or jerking movements of arms = and=20 legs.

Introduction

3D"two The = Epilepsy=20 Foundation is the national voluntary agency solely dedicated to the = welfare of=20 the more than 3 million people with epilepsy in the U.S. = and their=20 families. The organization works to ensure that people with seizures are = able to=20 participate in all life experiences; to improve how people with epilepsy = are=20 perceived, accepted and valued in society; and to promote research for a = cure.=20 In addition to programs conducted at the national level, epilepsy = clients=20 throughout the United=20 States are served by more than 50 = Epilepsy=20 Foundation affiliates around the country.

Typical = of the=20 Foundation=92s national programs are its Jeanne A. Carpenter Epilepsy = Legal=20 Defense Fund, Epilepsy Gene Discovery Project, H.O.P.E. (Helping Other = People=20 with Epilepsy) Mentoring Program, JobTech, = Public=20 Policy Institute, Elderly and Women=92s Health Initiatives, Kids Speak = Up! and Research Grants Program. Services commonly = provided in=20 local communities are information and referral, counseling, patient and = family=20 advocacy, school alert, community education, support groups and camps = for=20 children. Its Web site, www.epilepsyfoundation.org, offers the most=20 comprehensive, medically approved consumer information about epilepsy = and=20 seizures on the Internet and is the trusted source for millions of = people who=20 seek reliable information about epilepsy.

The = Epilepsy=20 Foundation was established in 1967 as the Epilepsy Foundation of = America,=20 merging two largely regional epilepsy organizations. It began operating = as the=20 Epilepsy Foundation on January 1, 1998, formalizing the name most often = used by=20 the public in referring to the organization. It is a 50(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization existing = under the=20 laws of the State of Delaware, with a = national=20 office in metropolitan Washington, D.C.

The = Foundation is=20 governed by a Board of Directors comprising business leaders, health = care=20 professionals and client representatives, with the advice and counsel of = a=20 Professional Advisory Board whose more than 60 members are among the = world=92s=20 leading epilepsy physicians and health experts. Its chief staff = executive is its=20 president and CEO, Eric R. Hargis. The national board of directors is = chaired by=20 Steven Sabatini. The Foundation=92s professional advisory board is = chaired by=20 Bruce P. Hermann, PhD, Professor of Neurology, and Director of the = Charles=20 Mathews Laboratory of Neuropsychology, University of Wisconsin Medical = School,=20 an expert in the psychosocial consequences of epilepsy and its = pharmacological=20 and surgical treatment.

The = Epilepsy=20 Foundation is funded primarily through individual donations from the = general=20 public, and receives restricted grant support from the federal = government,=20 foundations and private industry. The organization is a participant in = the=20 Combined Federal Campaign and a member of the National Health Council = and of the=20 International Bureau for Epilepsy.