Facts About Epilepsy | Infographic |

• 1 in 26 Americans will develop epilepsy in their lifetime.
• An estimated 3 million Americans and 65 million people worldwide currently live with epilepsy.
• Each year at least 200,000 people are diagnosed with epilepsy.
• In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with epilepsy, the cause is unknown.
• Epilepsy affects more people than multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy and Parkinson's combined – yet receives fewer federal dollars per patient than each of these.
• It is estimated that up to 50,000deaths occur annually in the U.S. from status epilepticus (prolonged seizures), Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), and other seizure-related causes such as drowning and other accidents.
• Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) accounts for34% of all sudden deaths in children.
• 2.2 million troops have served in the current Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts; it is estimated that440,000 of these soldiers will experience traumatic brain injury (TBI) and more than 100,000 of these soldiers are expected to develop post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE).
• Epilepsy costs the United States approximately $15.5 billion each year. The indirect costs associated with uncontrolled seizures are seven times higher than that of the average for all chronic diseases.
• TBI can also result from sports-related incidents. A concussion is a brain injury and recognition and proper response to concussions when they first occur can help prevent further injury, the development of PTE, or even death.

For more info see CURE Epilepsy