Following a seizure while at home on May 17, Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass) was found to have a serious type of brain tumor. He continues to undergo tests and treatments will likely start soon. According to an update from his personal physician and the vice chairman of neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on May 20, he has had no further seizures. 

In seniors such as Sen. Kennedy, seizures are often a symptom of a problem in the brain. Many times there is no apparent cause. When a cause is found, it usually relates to a previous stroke. About 1 in 20 times it may be a form of a brain tumor. To help understand the recent events involving the senator, here is some general background information about seizures and epilepsy.

What is a seizure?
A seizure is a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that usually affects how a person feels or acts for a short time (see more information on what a seizure is). Seizures are not a disease in themselves. Instead, they are a symptom of many different disorders that can affect the brain. Seizures can range from hardly noticeable to a convulsion (see information on symptoms of a seizure; see more information on types of seizures).

What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a neurological condition that affects the brain. Epilepsy is also known as a seizure disorder. Epilepsy is usually diagnosed after a person has had at least two seizures that were not caused by some non-neurological condition that secondarily affects the brain, such as extremely low blood sugar (see more information on what epilepsy is). Although epilepsy is often considered a disorder of childhood, it can begin at any age. The rate of newly diagnosed epilepsy is actually higher in seniors (elderly people) than in middle-aged adults.

What tests are usually performed when a person has their first seizure?
Because there are many possible causes of seizures, a thorough medical history is obtained and a variety of medical tests are performed to determine the cause, if possible, and to evaluate the risk of further seizures. Among the tests typically done are blood tests, a test of the brainwaves called an electroencephalogram (EEG), and brain imaging tests such as CT and MRI scans (see more information on diagnosis). Very often, these tests do not reveal a cause.

What are the possible causes of seizures and epilepsy?
There is a long list of possible causes because many of the conditions that affect brain function can possibly cause a seizure. The cause of recurrent seizures (epilepsy) that begin in later life cannot be determined in about half of the cases. Of those in whom the cause can be determined, the most common cause is strokes, including small ones that did not cause other symptoms. A brain tumor as a cause is found in approximately 5% of older persons with new-onset seizures. 

When is treatment usually begun?
If the medical evaluations and tests determine that a person has had more than one seizure, or that he or she is at substantial risk for a second seizure due to an identified problem with brain function, then therapy with medicines called "anticonvulsants" or "antiepileptic drugs" may be started (See more information on treatments; See effects of epilepsy medications on Seniors.) What brain tumors are determined to be the cause of a seizure, then anticonvulsants are often recommended.

What is appropriate first aid for seizures?
Here are a few things you can do to help someone who is having a seizure of any kind:

1. Stay calm.
2. Prevent injury. Move anything away that could harm the person if he or she struck it.
3. Pay attention to the length of the seizure.
4. Make the person as comfortable as possible.
5. Keep onlookers away.
6. Do not hold the person down.
7. Do not put anything in the person's mouth. Contrary to popular belief, a person having a seizure is incapable of swallowing their tongue so don’t put your fingers or any object into the mouth of someone having a seizure.
8. Do not give the person water, pills, or food until fully alert.
9. If this is the first known seizure for the person, or it lasts more than five minutes, or there is an apparent injury, call 911.
10. Be sensitive and supportive, and ask others to do the same.

Facts and myths about epilepsy

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