The warning signs can be subtle -- or not. Confusion, dizziness, funny "spells."

It can take a while for a doctor to make a diagnosis of epilepsy, the brain disorder characterized by multiple seizures.

More than 2 million Americans have epilepsy, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), making it one of the most common brain disorders in the country. In most cases it’s diagnosed in childhood, but not always. Some people are middle-aged or older when they first get the news.

But the good news is plentiful. Scientists are zeroing in on the genetics behind the disorder. In addition, the number of epilepsy treatment medications has jumped in recent years, and other epilepsy treatment options have increased too. The disorder can usually be successfully managed during pregnancy, allowing a woman with epilepsy to deliver a healthy child.

"Right now the outlook for becoming seizure-free or controlled to the best possible [extent] is the best it's ever been," says John M. Pellock, MD, professor and chair of the Division of Child Neurology at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond and a spokesperson for the American Epilepsy Society.

Root causes

"There have been several genes discovered [that are associated with the condition], but they only account for a small proportion of people with epilepsy, probably less than 5 percent," says Paul McCabe, MD, an associate professor of neurology at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center College of Medicine in Hershey.