“The problem with epilepsy is it’s not a well-understood phenomenon yet,” says Neurosurgeon, Dr. Dean Lin.

He admits while much is still unknown, researchers are making some headway when it comes to epilepsy. “It’s very common especially among penetrating head injuries. And this is a big concern now, especially with the war in Iraq, where with penetrating head injury, the rate of epilepsy is up 50 percent.”

Recently, researchers discovered that even mild brain injuries can increase the risk and that risk can last as long as 10 years, no matter what your age. “Usually what happens is you have a specific traumatic event, you have a period of time there, that’s the latent period when you don’t have any seizures, and then down the road is when you develop the seizures, the kind that keep coming on and on and on,” explains Dr. Lin. Researchers are now trying to figure out why. “As for what happens during that latent period, no one really knows for sure,” adds Lin.

Until more evidence is found, researchers are still prescribing medication and some brain treatments for epileptic patients. If you see someone having a seizure, the protocol remains the same. “Call the paramedics. Don’t, don’t, don’t try to hold them down or anything or do any sort of therapy yourself. Call the paramedics, have them come, have them assess the situation,” advises Dr. Lin. Sometimes brain injuries don’t surface right away. If you begin to feel light headed, get a headache, or start feeling nausea after a fall, you are strongly urged to seek medical attention.