What are the Causes and Factors of Epilepsy

Causes of epilepsy vary by age of the person. Some people with no clear cause of epilepsy may have a genetic cause. But what's true for every age is that the cause is unknown for about half of everyone with epilepsy.

• Some people with no known cause of epilepsy may have a genetic form of epilepsy. One or more genes may cause the epilepsy or epilepsy may be caused by the way some genes work in the brain. The relationship between genes and seizures can be very complex and genetic testing is not available yet for many forms of epilepsy. 
• About 3 out of 10 people have a change in the structure of their brains that causes the electrical storms of seizures.
• Some young children may be born with a structural change in an area of the brain that gives rise to seizures. 
• About 3 out of 10 children with autism spectrum disorder may also have seizures. The exact cause and relationship is still not clear. 
• Infections of the brain are also common causes of epilepsy. The initial infections are treated with medication, but the infection can leave scarring on the brain that causes seizures at a later time. 
• People of all ages can have head injuries, though severe head injuries happen most often in young adults.
• In middle age, strokes, tumors and injuries are more frequent.
• In people over 65, stroke is the most common cause of new onset seizures. Other conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease or other conditions that affect brain function can also cause seizures.

Common causes of seizures by age:

In Newborns: 

• Brain malformations
• Lack of oxygen during birth
• Low levels of blood sugar, blood calcium, blookd magnesium or other eletrolyte disturbances
• Inborn errors of metabolism
• Intercranial hemorrage
• Maternal drug use 

In Infants and Children: 

• Fever (febrile seizures)
• Brain tumor (rarely)
• Infections

In Children and Adults:

• Congenital conditions (Down's syndrome; Angelman's syndrome; tuberous sclerosis and neurofibromatosis)
• Genetic factors
• Progressive brain disease (rare)
• Head trauma

In Seniors:

• Stroke
• Alzheimer's disease
• Trauma
  
  
  When a disorder is defined by a characteristic group of features that usually occur together, it is called a syndrome. These features may include symptoms, which are problems that the patient will notice. They also may include signs, which are things that the doctor will find during the examination or with laboratory tests. Doctors and other health care professionals often use syndromes to describe a person's epilepsy.
  Epilepsy syndromes are defined by a cluster of features. These features may include:
  • The type or types of seizures
  • The age at which the seizures begin
  • The causes of the seizures
  • Whether the seizures are inherited
  • The part of the brain involved
  • Factors that provoke seizures
  • How severe and how frequent the seizures are
  • A pattern of seizures by time of day
  • Certain patterns on the EEG, during and between seizures
  • Brain imaging findings, for example, MRI or CT scan
  • Genetic information
  • Other disorders in addition to seizures
  • The prospects for recovery or worsening
  
  
  Not every syndrome will be defined by all these features, but most syndromes will be defined by a number of them. Classifying a person's epilepsy as belonging to a certain syndrome often provides information on what medications or other treatments will be most helpful. It also may help the doctor to predict whether the seizures will go into remission (lessen or disappear).