How To Avoid Epilepsy

Seizures are disruptions in normal brain activity that produce a change in attention or behavior, ranging from zoning out for a few seconds to convulsions that may go on for several minutes and can lead to injuries if they cause a person to fall or flail about.
Seizures can have an obvious cause, like a blow to the head or a stroke, or they may seem to occur from out of the blue.
“Epilepsy has traditionally been defined as an illness that has resulted in two or more epileptic seizures,” says Dileep Nair, MD, an epileptologist at the Cleveland Clinic. But there’s also more to consider, he says, such as how much time has elapsed between seizures, what additional symptoms have occurred, what test results determine, and other factors that could provoke seizures, such as medications, fevers, and imbalances in electrolytes. It's also important to be sure that the symptoms thought to have been caused by an epileptic seizure are not due to some other cause, such as low blood pressure, migraine headaches, or cardiac problems.

Risk Factors for Epilepsy and Seizures
According to the World Health Organization, 10 percent of the population across the world will experience a seizure in their lifetime, while nearly 50 million have epilepsy.
“Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical disturbances in the brain, which result in a variety of symptoms including abnormal sensations, loss of consciousness, abnormal movements, and convulsive movements,” Nair says.
It’s important to distinguish between risk factors and causes. “Causes for epilepsy include abnormal collections of neurons, scarring in the brain, blood vessel abnormalities, brain tumors, and genetic factors, as well as many other conditions,” he says. “Risk factors for seizures include febrile seizures (seizures associated with episodes of high fever), family history of seizures, head trauma, infections of the brain, developmental delay, perinatal complications, and stroke.”
Other conditions associated with an increased risk for seizures include:
Diabetes
Phenylketonuria (PKU), a rare birth defect
Congenital metabolic disorders (doctors call these “inborn errors of metabolism”)
Metabolic abnormalities resulting from liver or kidney disease
Deficiencies of certain nutrients, such as niacin (vitamin B3)
Infections of the brain, such as meningitis or encephalitis
Some, but not all, forms of epilepsy are strongly linked to genetics, Nair says. “By knowing the specific seizure types that a patient is experiencing and reviewing findings from EEG (recordings of brain waves), physicians can sometimes differentiate genetic epilepsies from other types,” he says. About two to five of every 100 children born to parents with epilepsy will develop the disorder, according to the British Epilepsy Association.
Babies who are born with cerebral palsy or who experience seizures within the first months of life are also thought to be at increased risk. In the majority of cases, however, the cause of epilepsy in children remains unknown.
Many effective drugs and other kinds of treatments are available to help control seizures. But many factors can interfere with that control and increase seizure risk, including:
Lack of sleep
Missed doses of epilepsy medications
Use of recreational drugs or alcohol

Use of certain prescription medications, such as some antibiotics, antidepressants, and drugs used for treating asthma