Causes
There are many possible causes of epilepsy, but in more than half the cases, the precise cause cannot be determined. These are known as idiopathic epilepsies and it is believed that attacks are caused by the lack of a particular group of chemical substances (the neurotransmitters) used to regulate the electric impulses in the brain. This is particularly the case when epilepsy starts in children and teenagers. There may be an hereditary (genetic) background, since epilepsy of the same type is often seen among relatives. Recent research has shown that certain cases of idiopathic epilepsy are clearly hereditary, caused by chromosomal abnormality.
A structural cause is most likely to be found when epileptic attacks have a focal onset (meaning that they affect a particular area of the brain), which is why it is important to have a brain scan if a focal epilepsy is suspected. In other words the epilepsy is the symptom of another illness. Possible causes of symptomatic epilepsy include:
- Abnormalities in the development of the brain during pregnancy (congenital abnormalities).
- Lack of oxygen during birth.
- Trauma can cause seizures at all ages. Post-traumatic epilepsy will show symptoms within 2 years of the injury.
- Infectious diseases that affect the brain, such as bacterial meningitis or herpes encephalitis, may cause seizures.
- Brain tumours.
- Blood clots and haemorrhage in the brain.
- Metabolic disorders like hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) that can cause seizures are sometimes seen in newborns and infants. In adults, withdrawal from drugs/alcohol can also cause seizures, in addition to metabolic disorders like diabetes.
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