Benaiah and Epilepsy facts

Benaiah is sick and so that means we are on seizure watch.  He has a nasty nose and cough along with sick eyes. So this means we make sure he naps and gets a good night sleep.  We may actually not see a seizure because we just upped his meds.  Thank God we did. Anyway I was searching the internet and I came across these facts. I then dug deeper and realized that Benaiah was doomed to his type of epilepsy as he suffered hypoxia and a stroke.  So here are the facts.

-1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their lives.
-The prevalence of epilepsy is greater than cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson's disease COMBINED.
-More people die from seizures and seizure related deaths each year than breast cancer and AIDS.

It's such a prevalent disorder, yet so many know very little about it.


In America, Epilepsy is as common as Breast Cancer, and takes as many lives.

*Almost 500 new cases of Epilepsy are diagnosed every day in the United States.

* Epilepsy affects 50,000,000 people worldwide.

* One in 100 people will develop Epilepsy.


30% of those diagnosed are children.

* Epilepsy can develop at any age and can be a result of genetics, stroke, head injury, and many other factors.

* For many soldiers suffering traumatic brain injury on the battlefield, Epilepsy will be a long-term consequence.

* In two-thirds of patients diagnosed with Epilepsy, the cause is unknown.

* In over 30% of patients, seizures cannot be controlled with treatment.

* Uncontrolled seizures may lead to brain damage and death.

‎* Up to 50,000 Americans die each year from seizures and related causes.

* The mortality rate among people with Epilepsy is two to three times higher than the general population.

* Risk of sudden death among those with Epilepsy is twenty-four times greater.

* Epilepsy results in an estimated annual cost of $15.5 billion in medical costs and lost or reduced earnings and production.

* Historically, epilepsy research has been under-funded. Each year NIH spends $30 billion of medical research, but just ½ of 1% is spent on epilepsy.

* The Federal government spends much less on Epilepsy research compared to other diseases, many which affect fewer people.