Causes of Seizures: An Overview
There can be number of reasons why someone has a
seizure. In fact, anything that disturbs the normal pattern of neuron activity -- from illness to abnormal brain development -- can cause
seizures.
Causes of seizures may include:
- Fever
- Chemical imbalance
- Medical conditions
- Trauma
- Developmental problems
- Poisoning.
In about half of all seizure cases, the cause is not known.
Causes of Seizures: Fever
Many young children experience convulsions that are caused by fevers, called
febrile seizures. During a febrile seizure, a child often loses consciousness and shakes, moving limbs on both sides of the body. Less commonly, the child becomes rigid or has twitches in only a portion of the body, such as an arm or a leg, or only on the right or the left side.
Causes of Seizures: Chemical Imbalance
Seizures may be caused by an imbalance of body fluids or chemicals, such as low blood sugar in diabetics or by alcohol or drug withdrawal.
Causes of Seizures: Medical Conditions
In many cases, seizures develop as a result of brain damage from other disorders. Some conditions that may be causes of seizures include the following:
About 32 percent of all cases of newly developed
epilepsy in elderly people appear to be due to cerebrovascular disease, which reduces the supply of oxygen to brain cells.
Seizures also can result from intolerance to wheat gluten (also known as
celiac disease), or from a parasitic infection of the brain called neurocysticercosis.
Seizures may stop once these disorders are treated successfully. However, the odds of becoming seizure-free after the primary disorder is treated are uncertain and vary depending on:
- The type of disorder
- The brain region that is affected
- How much brain damage occurred prior to treatment.
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