Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures (convulsions) over time.
Seizures are episodes of abnormal brain activity that cause changes in attention or behavior. Epilepsy may be due to a medical condition or an injury that affects the brain, or the cause could be idiopathic (of unknown origin). In this Q&A we answer some of your most common questions about epilepsy.
Common causes of epilepsy include:
- Stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
- Dementia
- Traumatic brain injury
- Infections, including brain abscess, meningitis, and encephalitis
- Brain problems that are present at birth (congenital brain defect)
- Brain injury that occurs during or near birth
- Brain tumor
- Abnormal blood vessels in the brain