Epilepsy PDF - Educational Material

Name: ________________________ 32 Curriculum Connection B2.4 What is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system. Epilepsy is a disease that causes seizures because of unusual electrical activity in the brain. Our brains are constantly sending electrical signals that...

Name: ________________________ 32 Curriculum Connection B2.4 What is Epilepsy? Epilepsy is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system. Epilepsy is a disease that causes seizures because of unusual electrical activity in the brain. Our brains are constantly sending electrical signals that travel through our nerves to the rest of our bodies. When these electrical signals are interrupted, they can cause a seizure. A seizure will have different results depending on where in the brain the electrical signals fail. Someone with epilepsy may have a seizure that causes them to shake, pass out, fall down, stiffen up or stare into space. What Causes a Seizure? Seizures come on suddenly and most often happen without warning. For some people though, they may have a funny feeling, upset stomach, or a weird smell or taste before a seizure. Most seizures last between 30 seconds to two minutes. Some people with epilepsy may experience seizures when they play too many video games, or when they don’t get enough sleep. Questions Use information from the text to support your answer 1. What is epilepsy? Why do seizures happen? _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What does it look like for some people having a seizure? _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________ True or False Is the statement true or false? 1) Epilepsy is a disease that affects the brain True False 2) Epilepsy causes seizures because of failed electrical signals in the brain True False 3) Seizures are the same for everyone with epilepsy True False 4) Seizures can be caused by video games and not sleeping enough True False 5) Seizures usually last 5 minutes True False © Super Simple Sheets supersimplesheets.com