Causes and Triggers of Epilepsy
As we lead up to Purple Day, we are continuing to raise awareness of epilepsy by highlighting its causes and triggers. These can vary significantly, so we are focussing on the most common, but you should speak to your doctor if you suffer any type of seizure at all.
Every person with epilepsy has a different experience, from their causes and triggers to the nature of their seizures. While you and your epilepsy develop, you will learn how it presents in you individually, as well as what helps it and what doesn’t.
Some causes and triggers are common, but others may be unique to you. Knowing which stimuli make seizures more likely is the best way to find an effective treatment. So, what causes epileptic seizures and what is a trigger?
50% of epileptic seizures are idiopathic, meaning their cause is unknown.
Causes of epilepsy
Epilepsy is a unique condition because its cause is a complete mystery in around 50% of cases. In the other 50%, the potential causes are mostly related to dysfunction in the brain.
Depending on the age of the sufferer at the time of their first seizure, epilepsy can be caused by a range of abnormalities, disease and injuries.
Common causes of epilepsy in newborn babies is developmental problems during gestation, birth complications or maternal drug use.
Children can develop epilepsy as the result of an infection or head injury. Sometimes, seizures can be a sign of a brain tumour, although this is rare in all age groups. A proportion of children with autism also suffer from epilepsy, but this does not necessarily signify a cause.
Epilepsy that appears in older adults is more likely to be the result of drug and alcohol abuse or brain diseases such as encephalitis and meningitis.
The common causes of epilepsy varies between age groups.
Epileptic seizure triggers
Although epilepsy is not hereditary, it can be genetic. Some people are predisposed to certain types of seizures or certain seizure thresholds (the likeliness that an individual will suffer a seizure).
Everybody has a seizure threshold, and those with a low threshold are more likely to have a seizure if exposed to a trigger factor.
Trigger factors for epilepsy are generally to do with brain function, so can be things like stress and lack of sleep.
The most well-known trigger is flashing light (photosensitivity), but this only affects around 3% of people with epilepsy. More common triggers for people with epilepsy are drinking, hormones and fatigue.
Common triggers of epilepsy are light, stress, tiredness, TV and computer, hormones, smoking and drinking.
Epilepsy and your triggers
An epilepsy diagnosis can be worrying, but it is rarely a sign of a brain tumour or other serious illness. A doctor will be able to help you live a perfectly normal life with epilepsy, whatever the cause.
With 50% of epileptic seizures being idiopathic, taking note of your triggers is the first step to controlling them. Keeping a diary is one way to work out which situations often precede a seizure.
Next week, we will discuss some of the treatment options that a doctor will offer you, as well as ways to manage risks while you or a loved one is having a seizure.
Felicity Thompson