About Epilepsy
Body Basics: Brain and Nervous System
Epilepsy is a disease of the central nervous system in which electrical signals of the brain to misfire. These disruptions cause temporary communication problems between nerve cells, leading to seizures. A seizure can be thought of as an "electrical storm" that causes the brain to do things that the person having the seizure doesn't intend.
Having a single or sometimes even several seizures is not necessarily considered epilepsy. Kids with epilepsy are prone to having multiple seizures over a fairly long period of time (months to years).
Epilepsy
is not the only cause of childhood seizures
is not a mental illness
does not necessarily affect intelligence
is not contagious
does not typically worsen over time
Causes of Epilepsy
Epilepsy
In less than half the cases of epilepsy, there is a specific identifiable brain problem that causes the seizures. These include:
infectious illness (such as meningitis or encephalitis)
brain malformation during pregnancy
trauma to the brain (including lack of oxygen) due to an accident before, during, or after birth or later in childhood
underlying metabolic disorders (chemical imbalances in the brain)
brain tumors
blood vessel malformation
strokes
chromosome disorders
In kids, more than half of epilepsy cases are idiopathic (meaning there's no other identifiable cause or visible problem in the brain). In most of these, there's a family history of epilepsy or the condition is believed to be genetic (kids with a parent or other close family member with epilepsy are more likely to have it, too). Researchers are working to determine what specific genetic factors are responsible for these forms of epilepsy.
