Seizures happen when the brain generates erroneous electrical signals. About one in 100 people will have a seizure over the course of a lifetime, and a single seizure does not mean a person has epilepsy, according to MayoClinic.com, which adds that individuals are said to have epilepsy if they have two or more seizures. Epilepsy affects 2.5 million Americans, and another 180,000 people are diagnosed with this disease every year, reports KidsHealth.org. Seizure symptoms can vary from staring and small muscle twitches to full convulsions.
Death
Untreated seizures can cause death. In fact, all deaths involving epilepsy are due to untreated, nonstop seizures, according to the Epilepsy Foundation. Status epilepticus describes a condition in which the patient has a seizure for more than five minutes or has several seizures without regaining consciousness between seizures. Status epilepticus increases the risk of death. People with poorly controlled seizures may also die suddenly from a condition known as sudden unexplained death in epilepsy, or SUDEP. However, fewer than one in 1,000 people with epilepsy die from SUDEP, notes the Epilepsy Foundation.
Brain Damage
Seizures can cause permanent brain damage, especially if they are uncontrolled and untreated. People with status epilepticus have an increased chance of brain damage. The brain can be damaged by the underlying condition that is causing the seizures or by the stress seizures put on the neural system. Additionally, there may be injury due to repeated electrical discharges in the brain.
Continuing Seizures
Seizures are unpredictable. They can happen while a person is engaged in such activities as driving, swimming or working with equipment. If left untreated, seizures may continue, putting patients and those around them at risk of harm. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke states that 80 percent of seizures can be treated with medicine or surgery.
Disease Progression
Chronic conditions can cause seizures, and seizures can be the result of accidents, illness, infection and fever, trauma, or drug interactions. If the underlying conditions are not treated, seizures may continue. Although epilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder in the United States behind stroke and Alzheimer's disease, there is no known cause for 70 percent of all cases of epilepsy, according to the Epilepsy Foundation.
Depression
Depression is the most common condition associated with epilepsy, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost half of people with uncontrolled epilepsy experience depression, and suicide rates are about five times higher for people with epilepsy than for the general population, notes the CDC.
