Epilepsy. Causes

How does epilepsy develop?

First of all we must make a distinction between epileptic seizures and epilepsy.

Epileptic Seizure

An epileptic seizure is an indication of a a short-lived functional disturbance in the brain. In principle any brain may produce a seizure in response to an intensive form of stimulation, such as a high fever, overtiredness or a brain injury. Not every seizure is an indication of the existence of epilepsy, however.

Epilepsy

We speak of epilepsy when a person suffers repeated seizures without there being any recognisable triggers for them. Where seizures occur in response to identified triggers these are known as "occasional seizures." The causes of epilepsy include such things as injury to the brain in an accident or even inflammation of the brain. It can also be caused by problems with the development of a baby's brain while still in the womb or by complications during its birth. The primary causes of the development of epilepsy among teenagers and young adults are accidents and brain tumours. Amongst adults and the elderly, however, blood circulation disorders and strokes as well as the processes of degeneration in the brain all play a much greater role in the development of epilepsy. The causes of epilepsy are often also very hard to isolate.

Inheritance of the Condition

An inherited predisposition to the condition may be one of the causes of epilepsy. So far science has been able to link spcific genes to only a few forms of epilepsy. Knowledge about how epilepsy is caused is increasing all the time, however. Research in this field will discover other correlations between the various causal factors.

Professional care

Kluger

PD Dr. med.

Gerhard Kluger


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