Is epilepsy hereditary?

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Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological diseases globally. The fear, misunderstanding, and discrimination of society that have surrounded epilepsy for centuries have led many people to ask questions such as: Is epilepsy genetic and if children are born with epilepsy? What to do?

1. Is epilepsy hereditary?

To answer the question of whether epilepsy is hereditary, we will go through the causes of the disease in turn. There are many causes of epilepsy but in general, the causes of epilepsy can be classified into the following three broad categories:
Causes of genetic factors; Hidden Root – cryptogeni; Caused by acquired brain damage. With type of epilepsy due to group of acquired causes such as head trauma, brain damage before birth of the child, brain tumor, cerebrovascular malformation, stroke, meningitis, viral encephalitis,... not hereditary in nature.
As for the group of hidden etiologies - cryptogenic, it is not possible to conclude whether epilepsy is inherited.
And the last group of most notable causes is epilepsy due to genetic factors. Do all people who have epilepsy due to genetic factors inherited it from a close relative? The answer is no.
There are several types of epilepsy that run in families, passed down from generation to generation. These epilepsy conditions are hereditary and are passed on.
But there are also seizures caused by mutations in genes (usually those that control the excitability of nerve cells in the brain) that occur for the first time in an individual. In these cases, the person may not have any family history of epilepsy. Thus, not all epilepsy caused by genetic factors is passed down from family members. However, there are still many people with genetic mutations that may never develop epilepsy. Experts believe that, in many cases, genetic predisposition combined with new environmental conditions leads to epilepsy.

In general, if a person has a mother, father, or sibling with epilepsy, the risk of developing the disease by the age of 40 is between 1-2%. The risk is somewhat different between focal and generalized epilepsy. Increased risk of developing epilepsy if mother, father, or sibling has generalized rather than focal epilepsy.

2. Is epilepsy contagious?

Epilepsy is caused by sudden excessive electrical discharge from the cerebral cortex or through the cortex of groups of neurons, causing central nervous system dysfunction. So far, no way has been found to cause epilepsy to spread from person to person.
The World Health Organization has also said epilepsy is a chronic non-communicable disease, so you can rest assured when interacting with sick people without worrying about epilepsy spreading to yourself.
3. Infantile Epilepsy The diagnosis of epilepsy in infants as well as adults is based on the clinical presentation of convulsions of the aforementioned nature in conjunction with the EEG.
Causes of neonatal epilepsy:
Structural causes: The baby was born on time but lacked oxygen to the brain, asphyxia at birth, obstetric trauma, cranial bleeding, abnormal growth of the brain, maternal infection during pregnancy can also cause brain damage,...; Metabolic causes: Low blood glucose, calcium or magnesium Infectious causes: Having infections such as meningitis or encephalitis,...; Genetic causes: Inherited genetic factors cause epilepsy. The symptoms of infantile epilepsy depend on the type of seizure. General symptoms or warning signs of a seizure may include:
Staring, blinking rapidly; Jerking movements in the arms and legs such as: Bicycling movement, legs jerking towards the abdomen, knees bent,...; Body stiffness, loss of consciousness; Shortness of breath or stop breathing; Loss of bowel or bladder control; For a short time, the child did not respond to noise or words; Seems confused or confused; Rhythmic nodding, when loss of awareness or consciousness is involved; During a seizure, the child's lips may turn blue and the child's breathing may not be normal. After a seizure, your child may be drowsy or confused.

The goal of neonatal epilepsy treatment is to control, stop, or reduce the frequency of seizures. Treatment is usually done with medication. Many medications are used to treat seizures and epilepsy. Drugs are selected to treat infantile epilepsy based on seizure type, age, side effects, cost, and ease of use. It is important that you give your child the medicine on time and exactly as prescribed. Dosage can be adjusted for best seizure control. Do not stop giving medicine to your child, as doing so may cause more or worse seizures.
Children with epilepsy may not need medication for life. Some children are started with a reduced dose and stopped if they have not had seizures for several years in a row. The treatment of epilepsy in infants should be supervised and advised by a qualified doctor to achieve the best treatment effect.
In addition to the treatment of epilepsy in infants with drugs can combine a ketogenic (fat), low carbohydrate and protein diet. In some cases, surgery can be performed to remove the part of the brain where the seizures are occurring, helping to stop the spread of bad electrical currents through the brain. Surgery may be an option if a child's seizures are difficult to control and always start in a part of the brain that doesn't affect speech, memory, or vision.

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