WE were very sorry to read about the tragic death of Emma Coombes in the June 8 issue of the Lancashire Evening Telegraph and would like to send our condolences to Emma's family.

As you may already know, at least one in 130 people in the UK has epilepsy, making it the most common serious brain condition.

In fact epilepsy is more than three times as common as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and cerebral palsy.

Despite its prevalence, it still remains very much in the shadows, surrounded by myth and misconception. Anybody's brain has the capacity to have a seizure and sometimes a person may develop epilepsy without any traceable cause.

Common causes however, include scarring to the brain tissue through illness or injury.

Fortunately, the majority of people with a diagnosis of epilepsy (around 75 per cent) will have their seizures fully controlled by medication.

For many others medication will help to reduce seizures so that quality of life can be maintained.

Readers may be interested to note that the National Society for Epilepsy (NSE) runs an information helpline on 01494 601400 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 4pm) which is open to all people wanting more information about any aspect of epilepsy and also has a comprehensive and information website at www.epilepsynse.org.uk.

JACK MUNDY, Press and PR Officer, National Society for Epilepsy (NS). Email jack.mundy@epilepsynse.org.uk