Treatment of epilepsy in adults
Keywords:If you are suspected of having epilepsy, your physician may refer you to the HUS Neurology Outpatient Clinic for examinations and treatment. We examine and treat adult patients with epilepsy in all our neurology units. The diagnostics and treatment of severe epilepsy in adults and epilepsy surgery are centralized at Meilahti Tower Hospital, in the Epilepsia Helsinki center of excellence.
Epilepsy is not one disease, but a number of different diseases, which have a common tendency to cause epileptic seizures without any specific exposing factors. An epileptic seizure is caused by a sudden, transient electrical disturbance in the cortex of the brain. The location of the disturbance determines what the symptoms of the seizure are like.
Epilepsy can begin at any age. Epilepsy affects about 1% of the population.
How do we treat epilepsy at HUS?
Epilepsy is usually treated with drug therapy, the goal of which is to completely eliminate seizures. In the vast majority of patients, epilepsy is manageable with the right kind of medication.
Approximately one in four people with epilepsy have a form of the disease which is difficult to treat. In adults with severe epilepsy, multidrug therapy may be required and, if necessary, surgery, stimulator therapy or dietary therapy will be considered as other treatment options.
In addition to seizures, epilepsy can be associated with neurological, mental, psychological, and social issues regarding functional capacity. Some of the epilepsy diseases are among orphan diseases.
Neurocenter
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Updated: 29.10.2026