Consequences of epilepsy: why do we treat seizures?

Abstract

Improving health-related quality of life in epileptic patients, rather than simply reducing seizures, has become the principal goal in epilepsy management. Reducing seizure frequency is one of the main factors contributing to improved quality of life. Evidence for and risk of the following potential adverse effects of seizures is reviewed: brain damage from seizures, sudden unexpected death, status epilepticus, kindling, falls or injury and psychosocial consequences. Although the evidence for seizure frequency influencing some of these factors is not clear-cut, as a whole, they offer a strong impetus toward an aggressive approach to controlling recurrent seizures in most cases.