The purpose of screening is early diagnosis and treatment. Screening tests are usually administered to people without current symptoms, but who may be at high risk for certain diseases or conditions.

Screening Guidelines

People are usually not screened or tested for epilepsy unless they have:

  • Any unexplained seizure
  • An unexplained loss of consciousness
  • Strong family history

However, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke points out that, “Ongoing research into finding the exact genes and genetic disorders that play a part in causing epilepsy is being done. This will provide greater opportunities for genetic screening and prenatal diagnosis of epilepsy in the future.”