Working with epilepsy

摘要

UNLESS you - or a close friend or relative - have epilepsy, what you know about the condition is likely to be limited. You might have heard warnings on TV that an upcoming programme or news item contains strobe lighting; you probably know the condition involves seizures; and if you've witnessed someone having a seizure you might assume epilepsy has a dramatic impact on sufferers' working lives. While some of these are true, they paint a rather misleading picture of epilepsy and its impact on health and safety at work. Epilepsy is the UK's most common serious brain disorder, affecting more than 450,000 - or 1 in 130 - of the population. Despite this, little is known about what causes it. Though brain damage due to injury or illness can produce epilepsy, as can hormonal imbalances and tumours, in about six out of 10 cases the cause is a mystery. More is known about how to treat it, and today around 75 percent of seizures can be controlled successfully by anti-epilepsy drugs.