Hunter Tylo of CBS' The Bold and The Beautiful Joins Forces With the American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation in Public Awarenes...( American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation...),Health

American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation formed to raise awareness and educate

public on first aid for seizures

CHICAGO, June 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The newly organized American Epilepsy Outreach Foundation (AEOF), epilepsyoutreach.org, has joined forces with Hunter Tylo of CBS' The Bold and The Beautiful in a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of seizure disorders and to educate the public on first-aid tips for someone experiencing a seizure.

"My 19-year-old son, Mickey died this past fall of 2007 after suffering a seizure. It rendered him unconscious and he fell into our pool and drowned. No one heard a thing and there were people around -- it was a silent killer. I realized then how little people know about this disorder that affects so many," said Hunter Tylo of CBS' The Bold and The Beautiful, who also serves as national spokesperson for AEOF.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, epilepsy affects an estimated 2.7 million people in the United States and 40 to 50 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Each year, about 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed in the United States. Epilepsy costs about $15.5 billion in medical expenses and lost or reduced earnings and productivity each year. More than one-third of people with epilepsy continue to have seizures despite treatment. Seizures result when the brain produces a sudden surge of electrical energy that interrupts brain functions. There is currently no cure for epilepsy and each year seizures are responsible for up to 42,000 deaths, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Through its website, epilepsyoutreach.org, AEOF offers information on detecting and treating seizure disorders, first-aid information for someone experiencing a seizure, support programs for individual sufferers and their families, and links to related resources and medical news.

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