17/11/2025
Respected colleagues, friends and members of the community,
today, on National Epilepsy Day, we unite under a single message—awareness, empathy, and prevention can transform the lives of millions living with epilepsy. Despite advances in diagnosis and therapy, much of the burden of epilepsy remains linked to preventable causes and social stigma. Hence, our mission extends beyond treatment—it lies in sensitization, prevention, and inclusion.
Epilepsy, as we know, is not a single disease but a symptom complex representing diverse pathologies across the human lifespan. The causes and preventive opportunities vary significantly with age, and understanding this dimension is key to effective community-based strategies.
In the perinatal and infancy period, the major preventable causes include birth asphyxia, hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, and central nervous system infections. Improved maternal care, timely obstetric interventions, neonatal resuscitation, and early screening for metabolic errors and infections can significantly reduce epilepsy incidence in this group. Strengthening perinatal healthcare infrastructure remains one of the most powerful primary preventive tools.
Moving into childhood, causes shift toward neuroinfections, traumatic brain injury, and genetic epilepsies. Vaccination programs, especially against neurotropic viruses such as measles and Japanese encephalitis, contribute immensely to prevention. Public education regarding head protection, infection control, and early recognition of febrile seizures is also vital. Genetic counseling and early identification of developmental epileptic encephalopathies enable timely intervention and better outcomes.
In adolescents and young adults, secondary causes—craniocerebral trauma, substance abuse, and idiopathic generalized epilepsies—gain prominence. Road safety enforcement, discouragement of alcohol and drug misuse, and mental health promotion can curb preventable epilepsy in this demographic. Schools and colleges should integrate basic first aid and seizure management education to replace fear and stigma with understanding and preparedness.
Among middle-aged and elderly individuals, cerebrovascular disease and neurodegeneration become leading etiologies. Hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and smoking cessation programs have an indirect but profound role in preventing late-onset epilepsy by reducing stroke occurrence. In this age group, medication adherence and prompt management of metabolic disturbances also play preventive roles.
Across all ages, awareness remains pivotal—awareness that epilepsy is a treatable neurological disorder; awareness that over 70 percent of patients can live seizure-free with appropriate therapy; and awareness that social exclusion often inflicts deeper suffering than the seizures themselves.
The ongoing challenge lies not only in medical management but also in bursting myths—the myth that epilepsy is contagious, the myth that marriage , childbearing or education should be denied, the myth that seizures mean inferiority. Our role as clinicians and educators is to advocate for inclusion, educate caregivers, and empower patients.
As we observe National Epilepsy Day 2025, let us pledge to extend our focus beyond the clinics to the community—to work alongside policymakers, teachers, and families in building a future where epilepsy is understood, prevented, and never feared.
Dr. Swayam Prakash
MBBS, MD (Medicine), DM (Neurology)
SCE-Neurology (RCP-UK), FEBN
FRCP (Glasg), FRCP (London), FICP
Fellow Of American Academy of Neurology (FAAN)
Senior Consultant & Hod- Neurology
