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| Know why |
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| Seizures can happen to anyone, depending on the situation. Everyone has their own "seizure threshold"—a level of activity that is needed to cause seizures. In most people this threshold is high, but a powerful trigger, such as injury to the brain, can cause a seizure. In a few people, the threshold is low, allowing seizures to start suddenly. This is common for most people with epilepsy. |
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| The cause of epilepsy often differs by age |
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| If a cause can be identified, a person's epilepsy can be referred to as a symptom of that condition. But the major causes of new seizures differ for various age groups. Seizures that occur early in life usually result from problems at birth and inherited disorders. Many seizures in children are related to infection, which reflects the relatively high rate of febrile convulsions in younger children. |
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| Click here to find out more about epilepsy in children, teens, women, and seniors. |
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| Common causes of seizures in seniors |
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| Brain tumors are a significant cause of seizures in adults and older people. However, cerebrovascular events—such as stroke—are a common cause of new seizures in seniors. |
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| Epilepsy may have roots |
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| Heredity is an important factor to consider in epilepsy. This is mostly true when seizures start in childhood or the teen years. Though some people have several family members with epilepsy, others have none. That's why people may inherit a predisposition to seizures rather than epilepsy itself. |
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| The start of seizures |
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| For the brain to function, there needs to be a balance between increased activity (excitation) and restraint (inhibition). When this balance is changed, a seizure may result. |
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| Factoring in the chance of having seizures |
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| Some factors can cause seizures in people who do not have epilepsy. These include head injury or meningitis. Other factors act as triggers only in people who are prone to having seizures. The role flashing light plays in people with photosensitive epilepsy is an example. More often, factors predispose people towards seizures. That means they do not cause seizures in every person they affect—they just make them more likely to occur. Examples are: |
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Disturbed levels of body water/electrolytes (mostly sodium, calcium or magnesium) |
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Can cause seizures in people who don't have epilepsy and those who do |
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Disturbed levels of blood glucose |
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In some people who have epilepsy and diabetes |
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In some people who have severe hypoglycemia |
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Reduced oxygen to the brain |
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Seizures can result from a heart attack, head injury or stroke |
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Raised body temperature |
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Altered sleep patterns |
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Seizures can occur at particular times during sleep cycle |
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Seizures can be caused by lack of sleep |
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Disturbed hormones |
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Seizures can be a symptom of thyroid problems. Curing this can stop the seizures |
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Sex hormones can play a role. To find out more, link to the Women section of this site |
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Toxicity |
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Seizures can occur as part of a toxic reaction |
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