Seizure Triggers & Causes
Often, a parent's first questions are “how did my child get epilepsy?” or “what causes my child to have a seizure?” Unfortunately, in most cases there is no answer. For most children, seizures happen at very different times, in all kinds of situations. For seven out of ten epilepsy cases, there is no known cause.
What Causes Epilepsy?
Idiopathic epilepsy is the term used when a cause cannot be found. If a cause is determined, it is called symptomatic epilepsy. Possible causes include problems in how the brain developed before birth, not enough oxygen during or right after birth, a serious head injury, a tumor on the brain, a high fever, or severe infections such as meningitis or encephalitis.
In most cases, there is not a clear pattern of inheriting epilepsy within families. However, close relatives of people who have seizures are slightly more likely to have epilepsy than the general population. Therefore, it is important for you to ask your relatives if there is a family history of seizures and to share that information with your doctor. Click here if you have questions about genetics and how epilepsy may run in some families.
Read more about what can cause epilepsy.
What Can Cause A Seizure?
There are many kinds of seizures. Most happen randomly, with no obvious pattern. However, there are certain things that seem to “trigger” or cause a seizure in some children. If you know what these triggers are, you can watch to see if they affect your child.
- Fever — some children have a seizure when their temperature rises quickly, usually to 102 degrees or higher. These are called febrile or fever-caused seizures, and in most cases do not lead to epilepsy. They affect children between the ages of 3 months and 6 years, and are most common in toddlers. About one-third of children who have a febrile seizure will have another one, but most children outgrow them. Only about 3 percent of children with febrile seizures develop epilepsy.
- Missed medication — not taking medication as prescribed (as often and in the amount recommended by your doctor) is the most common cause of an unexpected seizure for people with epilepsy.
- Lights — while it's not as common as many people believe, flashing or flickering lights caused by sunlight, strobes, video games or computer screens can cause seizures in some people with epilepsy. This is known as photosensitivity. Polarized sunglasses, not sitting too close to a screen and taking frequent breaks away from the screen can help. Click here for more information on photosensitivity.
- Brain disorders — children who have certain brain conditions, such as tuberous sclerosis, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism and neurofibromatosis may be more prone or likely to have seizures.
- Behavior — certain behaviors seem to lead to seizures for some people with epilepsy. These include not getting enough sleep and drug or alcohol abuse.
- Hormone change — some girls find that their seizures become more frequent when they go through puberty or at certain points in their menstrual cycle. Click here for more information.
- Foods — some people find that certain foods cause them to have seizures. While there is little evidence of such connections, it is best to avoid any foods that seem to increase your child's chances of having a seizure. Studies have shown that the ketogenic diet, if strictly followed, can help control seizures for some children.
- Other possible seizure triggers can include bold, high-contrast patterns such as a zebra's stripes, stress or anxiety, and certain mental processes such as reading or math.
