What Are the Causes of Epilipsy?

Epilepsy is a condition in which the patient experiences seizures because of a disruption in the normal workings of the brain's activity. There are many causes of the condition, and it should be noted that no underlying cause could be determined or found for 75 percent of sufferers. For the remaining patients, the causes include some forms of illness, brain damage and abnormal development in the fetus. Here are some of the most commonly found causes of epilepsy.

Brain Chemistry

• A person may develop epilepsy from an imbalance of brain chemicals. These imbalances are sometimes responsible for mental diseases like bipolar disorder or insanity; it depends on how they manifest in a particular individual. When the chemicals prevent neurotransmitters from submitting electrical impulses between the cells, this disruption can cause seizures and the person may be diagnosed with epilepsy.

Genetics

• Epilepsy has been strongly correlated with inheritance in many cases. This has even been traced to a specific, single abnormal gene in one or more family members that causes the body to produce abnormal amounts of chemicals in the body. These chemicals include calcium and potassium and can contribute to the development of the condition.

Related Conditions

• Epilepsy often comes about as a result of a serious condition that would at first seem unrelated. This could include a brain tumor or Alzheimer's, in which the condition directly affects the brain's ability to function correctly. Stroke and heart attack are also prime candidates for causing epilepsy because they interfere with the body's ability to move blood to the brain.

Head Trauma

• Any kind of injury to the brain can cause epilepsy to develop. While a minor head injury poses only a very small risk of creating the condition, a more serious injury that causes concussion or swelling is very much a risk factor and a potential cause of epilepsy. Sometimes, even with serious trauma, the seizures may not appear for several years.

Fetal Injury

• A fetus is exposed to a great deal of risk when it comes to its developing brain. If a mother is a drug abuser or suffers an infection of some sort while pregnant, it could cause the kind of damage to brain development that could lead to epilepsy. Other risk factors include smoking while pregnant and even poor nutrition.