Epilepsy has many possible causes including brain tumor, stroke, brain damage from illness or injury, or some combination of these. In a large group of patients, there is no detectable cause.
Some possible seizure triggers include:
- Vascular disorders such as ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke
- Endocrine disorders
- Genetics
- Infection (such as meningitis)
- Inflammation
- Injury (trauma)
- Metabolic disorders
Types of seizures
The type of seizure depends on which part and how much of the brain is affected and what happens during the seizure. The two broad categories of epileptic seizures are focal and generalized seizures (absence, atonic, tonic-clonic and myoclonic).
Infants and children may have age specific seizures including infantile spasms, febrile (fever) seizures.
The care team at Lehigh Valley Health Network’s Neuroscience Center can help diagnose, treat and manage seizure disorders. Treatment may include anticonvulsive medication, which is effective for 70 percent of people with a seizure disorder, vagus nerve stimulation or surgery.