The odds of knowing someone with epilepsy is very high; 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime, with 10,000 people diagnosed in Michigan.
Dr. David Burdette, Director of the Epilepsy Program at Spectrum Health talks about epilepsy and how it can be treated for Epilepsy Awareness Month.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder where neurons misfire, causing the body to act involuntarily. Results can be mild to severe, the most dangerous being a grand mal seizure.
Two out of three cases of epilepsy are controlled by medication, but a third of the time cases are more difficult and may benefit from surgery.
One of the ways epilepsy can be controlled without medicine is with a NeuroPace, a pacemaker for the brain.
Dr. Burdette says that it's important for patients to get treatment and get their condition under control, because it could be deadly if left unchecked.
To learn more about treatments provided at the Spectrum Health Epilepsy Center, visit spectrumhealth.org/epilepsy or call (616)-267-7900.
