What is Epilepsy
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Epilepsy Definition
Seizure Disorder is a chronic condition produced by temporary changes in the electrical function of the brain, causing seizures, which can affect awareness, movement, or sensation.
Seizures occur when clusters of nerve cells in the brain, called neurons, signal or communicate with each other abnormally. During a seizure, the neurons' normal pattern of activity is disturbed, causing them to fire as many as 500 times per second (normal rate is about 80 times per second). This can cause strange sensations, emotions, and behavior, or convulsions, muscle spasms, and/or loss of consciousness.
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A diagnosis of epilepsy is usually not made until a person experiences a seizure more than once without a known cause. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, about three million Americans have epilepsy.
The causes of abnormal brain wiring and imbalance of neurotransmitters are numerous. They can include:
- Concussion
- Stroke
- Brain abnormalities inherited at birth
- Gene abnormalities inherited at birth
- Brain injury at birth
- Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy at birth (mesial temporal sclerosis)
- Brain Tumor and Brain Cancer
- Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
- Metabolic conditions (eg, Hypoglycemia , very high blood sugar, low calcium, high or low sodium, or low magnesium)
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Heart Failure
- Liver failure
- Kidney Failure
- Sickle Cell Anemia
- Vasculitis (for example, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus )
- Any condition that deprives the brain of oxygen (eg, Drowning )
- Infectious diseases, such as:
- Hydrocephalus (excess fluid in the brain)
- Celiac Disease (intolerance to wheat gluten)
- Exposure to:
- Lead Poisoning
- Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
- Other environmental toxins
- Chemical warfare agents
- Certain illegal Drug Abuse and Drug Addiction (eg, Cocaine Use Disorder , amphetamines, phencylidine)
- Overdose of antidepressants and other medicines
- Withdrawal from Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism , sedatives, and hypnotics
- Certain medicines can lower the seizure threshold and thus increase the risk of seizures, such as:
- Tricyclics
- Theophylline
- Penicillin
- Phenothiazine
- In children:
- High fever
- Maternal infections
- Poor nutrition
- Lead Poisoning
- B6 deficiency in neonates, infants
- Hereditary (genetic syndromes, metabolic disorders)
In many cases, the exact cause of epilepsy is not known. When a cause is not known, the disease is idiopathic.
