November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. There are 80,000 South Carolinians and nearly 3 million Americans living with epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation of South Carolina. For many the biggest problem they face, besides seizures, are negative attitudes about the condition.

Barbara Brothers, Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of South Carolina said, “70 percent of people with epilepsy can be expected to enter remission, defined as 5 or more years seizure free on medication, if they have access to state of the art medical testing, imaging, diagnosis and treatment.”

Brothers said the state has a level 4 comprehensive epilepsy center at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. “This is the highest designation for an epilepsy center. Level 4 Centers provide the most complete range of evaluations and treatments for epilepsy, including complex surgery. Advances in imaging modalities help pinpoint the origin of seizures, making more effective treatment planning and seizure control.”

For more information on epilepsy and resources available in South Carolina go to http://www.epilepsysc.org.