The Annual Epilepsy Review

Abstract

Epilepsy is a group of disorders in which fits or seizures occur as a result of spontaneous abnormal electrical discharge in any part of the brain. This may be primary and often due to a genetic tendency (idiopathic epilepsy) or secondary to a structural abnormality of the cerebral cortex, for example as a result of tumour or trauma (symptomatic epilepsy). Seizures take many forms but usually show the same pattern on each occasion for a given individual. An average GP practice will have approximately 20 patients with epilepsy. The Quality and Outcomes Framework requires that a register of patients with epilepsy is kept and patients with epilepsy are reviewed annually. This article aims to provide an overview of epilepsy and its ongoing management and guidance on the areas that should be covered in the annual review.