Causes and Risk Factors of Seizures

Seizures are an indication of problems in the brain. Seizures can cause symptoms as mild as subtle sensory or awareness changes to severe effects such as convulsions and brain damage.

Causes

• Most people associate seizures with epilepsy, but the Mayo Clinic says that you must have two seizures without a clear cause before it is considered to be epilepsy. Seizures can be caused by blunt force trauma to the head, deprivation of oxygen from a stroke or heart attack, and diseases such as meningitis and AIDS.

Time Frame

• According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), most seizures last between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Longer seizures are possible and may constitute a medical emergency.

Risk Factors

• Dementia, genetic predisposition and the use of alcohol, antidepressants and other prescription medications may increase your risk of seizures.

Effects

• The longer a seizure lasts or the more severe it is, the greater chance it will cause brain damage or even death, reports the NLM.

Treatment

• According to the Mayo Clinic, medications can eliminate seizures for some epileptics, while others are able reduce seizure frequency or severity. Non-drug treatment includes surgery, dietary changes or use of a nerve-stimulation device.