What Causes Epilepsy?
There are many different causes of Epilepsy. Your doctor will do a number of investigations to look for the cause. However, in 6 out of 10 children, no cause can be found.
The cause of Epilepsy when known can be classified into several broad categories.
- Genetic: There is an underlying predisposition to having seizures. However, there is often no family history of seizures
- Immune: Epilepsy results directly from an immune disorder in which seizures are a core symptom of the disorder
- Infectious: Epilepsy results from a known infection in which seizures are a core symptom of the disorder
- Metabolic: The cells in the brain use energy in a way that makes them more prone to creating abnormal electrical activity
- Structural: There is an underlying abnormality in the brain tissue that makes seizures more likely
- Unknown: The cause of the epilepsy is not yet known.
The information on this page was published in March 2012. It was last reviewed without modification in December 2017.
