A NEW service to help epilepsy sufferers is to be launched at the Royal Preston Hospital.

The Epilepsy Information Service will provide support for patients attending epilepsy clinics.

The new service will be staffed by volunteers who will undergo a comprehensive initial two-day training programme. They will then experience ongoing training, which will last for one half day a week.

Figures suggest that one in 200 people suffer from the condition -- about 350,000 people in this country.

The National Society for Epilepsy (NSE) decided to set up the clinic in the town after similar projects in Blackpool and St Annes proved successful.

Eve Peers, northern region epilepsy information co-ordinator, said there was a big demand for the facility in Preston.

"It's a very busy hospital and there are a lot of people who are referred there from the coast. Certainly there is a lack of information services for people with epilepsy."

And she said an increase in the numbers of sufferers could be attributed to a more open attitude in society towards the condition. "People were termed disabled years ago and put in homes if they had epilepsy. There are more people living ordinary lives and integrated into society these days," she said.

But she added that misdiagnosis was common, with many people, even non-specialist medical staff assuming that any seizure was probably attributable to epilepsy.

"It's very common because the obvious thing is when people go to A and E and they have had a seizure the first thought is epilepsy. I suspect it happens to quite a lot of people but it needs more research."

Epilepsy can be caused by head injuries, infection, stroke, or it can be genetic in some cases.

It can affect anyone regardless of age. Seizures tend to start in infancy or by late adolescence, but the incidence rises again after 65. It can be treated with drugs or in extreme cases with neurosurgery.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer should contact Eve Peers on 01254 381185.