LOCALLY known as "patol," epilepsy is the name for a group of disorders of the brain characterized by a tendency to recurrent seizures or convulsions or "fits."

Epilepsy is universal and the most common serious neurological disorder, which is responsible for an enormous amount of suffering, affecting some 50 million people of all ages, especially in childhood, adolescence and the elderly.

Epilepsy is a relatively common condition, affecting 0.5 percent to 1 percent of the population, according to the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO). At least one hundred million people will experience epilepsy at some time in their lives. About 2 million new cases occur each year.

In the Philippines, an estimated 750,000 people have epilepsy and sadly, many people around them still believe that what they have is a psychiatric disorder or mental retardation. Worse, a number of them even believe epilepsy is supernatural, caused by possession.

Treated with fear, suspicion and prejudice; accused of possession by spirits: this is the fate of people with epilepsy. "We need to demystify epilepsy. The prejudice that people with epilepsy face is tragic," WHO said in a statement.

"Most people with epilepsy in Asia and the Pacific region suffer tremendous social stigma," the United Nations health agency deplored. "Moreover, some 70 percent of the 30 million people with epilepsy in the region do not receive any treatment, although cheap medicines exist. Their only 'treatment' may be exorcism or herbs from traditional healers."

Epilepsy is a common condition, dating back thousands of years - the word epilepsy comes from ancient Greece. Yet it is still poorly understood. Some of the fallacies surrounding epilepsy are that it is contagious, untreatable and completely inherited.

"None of this is true," WHO informs. "Epilepsy is a disorder, not a disease." In about 70 percent of cases, it can be treated with medication, which can cost as little as US$5 a year per person. In some cases, surgery can also be effective.

Anything that damages the brain can cause epilepsy. Poet, novelist, and screenwriter Laurie Lee developed epilepsy after he was knocked down by a bicycle at the age of 10. He kept it secret and it only surfaced when his papers were read by biographers after his death.

In like manner, American congressman Tony Coelho developed epilepsy at age 16, possibly as a result of an earlier head injury. The brain disorder led to rejection by his family and the Jesuits for "possession by the devil."

Seizures -- caused by sudden, usually brief, excessive electrical discharges in a group of brain cells - are transient signs and symptoms of epilepsy. During a seizure, the neurons in the brain (nerve cells that produce electrical discharges) may fire as many as 500 times a second, which disturbs the normal activity of neurons, glands and muscles.

Patients with epilepsy experience more than one seizure type. This is because seizures are only symptoms. Therefore, it is essential that a neurologist diagnose a person's type of epilepsy just not the type(s) of seizure he or she has in order to choose the best treatment possible.

Here's a word of warning: Objects should never be placed in a person's mouth by anybody during a seizure as this could result in serious injury to either party. Despite common belief, it is not possible for a person to swallow his or her own tongue during a seizure. However, it is possible that the person will bite his or her own tongue, especially if an object is placed in the mouth.

If you think you are suffering from epilepsy, see a doctor immediately. Dr. Gerardo Legaspi, associate professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, said early diagnosis and treatment are vital, because epileptic seizures should be stopped before the patient suffers irreversible damage. Brain cells that die during a bout cannot grow back and the functions that are controlled by that brain area may be permanently lost.

The majority of epileptic seizures are controlled through drug therapy. Diet may also be used along with medications. In certain cases, in which medications and diet are not working, surgery may be used.

Many people with epilepsy have lived successful lives. Some historical figures who had the condition include Julius Caesar, Pope Pius IX, Alexander the Great, Vladimir Lenin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Socrates.

Film actor and director Danny Glover had epilepsy from age 15 to age 35. Lindsey Buckingham, the guitarist and singer in the music group Fleetwood Mac was taken to hospital after a seizure while on tour at age 29.

Bjornstjerne Bjornson, a Norwegian writer and a 1903 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate, developed focal epilepsy following a stroke in the final year of his life. Brazilian novelist Joaquim Maria Machado de Assis had epilepsy all his life, but was ashamed to mention it, using euphemisms when writing to friends. It is believed he had complex partial seizures, with secondary generalization.

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