Is epilepsy a disease?

During the Middle Ages, people who had epilepsy were believed to be mad. Epilepsy is a disease that affects the nervous system. Epileptic people suffer from sudden fits or convulsions. They may lose consciousness and become comatose too. Epilepsy is caused by disruption of the normal patterns of brain activity. Head injuries, high fever, tumours, etc. can trigger epilepsy. Geniuses like the Duke of Wellington, Richard Wagner, Vincent van Gogh, etc., were epileptics.