Epilepsy - Introduction

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The trigger of status epilepticus is often unknown, but can include:

• Failure to take anti-epileptic medications
• Abrupt withdrawal of certain anti-epileptic drugs, particularly barbiturates and benzodiazepines
• High fever
• Poisoning
• Electrolyte imbalances (imbalance in calcium, sodium, and potassium)
• Cardiac arrest
• Stroke
• Low blood sugar in people with diabetes
• Central nervous system infection
• Brain tumor
• Alcohol withdrawal

Nonepileptic Seizures

A seizure may be related to temporary conditions listed below. If the seizures do not recur after the underlying problem has been corrected, the person does not have epilepsy.

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Conditions associated with nonepileptic seizures include:

• Brain tumors, both in children and adults
• Other structural brain lesions (such as bleeding in the brain)
• Traumatic brain injury, stroke, or a transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Stopping alcohol after drinking heavily on most days
• Illnesses that cause the brain to deteriorate
• Problems that are present from before birth (congenital brain defects)
• Injuries to the brain that occur during labor or at the time of birth
• Low blood sugar or low sodium levels in the blood, or imbalances in calcium or magnesium
• Kidney or liver failure
• Infections (brain abscess, meningitis, encephalitis, neurosyphilis, or AIDS)
• Use of cocaine, amphetamines, or certain other recreational drugs
• Medications such as theophylline, meperidine, tricyclic antidepressants, phenothiazines, lidocaine, quinolones, penicillins, selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, isoniazid, antihistamines, cyclosporine, interferons, and lithium
• Stopping certain drugs, such as barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and certain antidepressants after taking them for a period of time
• Prolonged exposure to certain types of chemicals (lead, carbon monoxide).
• Down’s syndrome and other developmental conditions
• Phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder of metabolism, can cause seizures in infants
• Febrile seizures are caused by high fever and occur in 2 - 5% of children ages 6 months to 5 years. Simple febrile seizures last for less than 15 minutes and occur once in a 24-hour period. They are usually an isolated event and not a sign of underlying epilepsy. However, complex febrile seizures, which last longer than 15 minutes and occur more than once in 24 hours, may be a sign of underlying neurologic problems or epilepsy.

Review Date: 01/28/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).