Epilepsy who is at risk

The chances of getting epilepsy are greater in people who have many. Epilepsy is more common in people who have other family members with it. Other things that may raise the risk are:. Epilepsy in adults. Updated February 4, Accessed April 10, Epilepsy in children.

Updated March 22, Epilepsy information page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke website. Updated November 22, Seizure disorders. Merck Manual Professional Version website. Updated November What are the risk factors? The triggers could change the number or severity of seizures. Learning if you have any triggers can help you learn what to do next. Sometimes people can learn how to modify their lifestyle or environment to lessen the risk of triggers.

The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation is to lead the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and to accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives. Skip to main content. The evaluation and management of risk needs to take into account the person's seizures and their unique circumstances. Ensuring that seizures are correctly diagnosed, that treatment plans are followed and that first aid information is available, minimises risks.

Although many people who witness a seizure fear that the person may be harmed, especially by a generalised convulsion, the risk of brain damage or death from a seizure is low. Based on the medical assessment the doctor will recommend guidelines in relation to driving, the use of dangerous machinery, working above ground level and high-risk activities such as scuba diving. Anything that affects a person's conscious state, awareness or judgement can increase the risk of accidents. Burns-related injuries are often reported in people who experience focal dyscognitive seizures and tonic-clonic seizures.

Most common are injuries due to scalding in the kitchen or bathroom. Reducing hot water temperature to 50 Celsius can protect against 3rd degree burns. Similarly strategic placement of indoor heating appliances can minimise the risk of burns in the event of a tonic-clonic seizure. A person is at most risk of harm if they are doing something dangerous, such as driving, when a seizure occurs. There are laws about driving after seizures and in general people who have had a seizure are required to notify the licensing body and stop driving until a medical report is supplied.

Most people can return safely to driving but the length of time a person must wait varies between individuals. Swimming and taking a bath alone are not recommended and special care needs to be taken when using hot water.

Turning on the cold tap first in the shower or basin and lowering the temperature of the hot water are good safety hints for any home.

Showers and baths and running water in any context, appear to be conducive to seizures in some people. A precautionary measure is to take medication first thing in the morning, 20 minutes before taking a shower. Take a few moments to think about your home, work and leisure activities. Consider any risks that your seizures might create. Could you hurt yourself if you had a seizure? Is there a way that you could reduce the risk of harm to yourself or others?

There are many general safety strategies that you may not be using which would be useful. Do you have smoke alarms, fireguards, or power breakers fitted in your home? Some people carry an ID card which says they have epilepsy and how to help during a seizure. There are also companies that make medical jewellery. There are various safety aids and equipment depending on what your epilepsy is like and your situation.

Some people choose to have an alarm , which is set off when they have a seizure, to get help. This can be helpful if you have seizures during the night or if you live alone. There are different types of alarm for different types of seizure. Some are set off when someone falls in a seizure or has a tonic clonic seizure in bed.

Others can be set off by the person themselves if they feel a seizure coming on. Safety helmets help to protect someone from injury if their seizures cause them to fall suddenly. Some helmets have face guards to protect the face if the person falls forwards.

Risk assessments may be useful at work or school, for leisure activities, or for ways to make the home safer. You might want to do a risk assessment yourself, or it may be appropriate that a carer, an employer, an occupational health worker, or someone from social services does this with you. A risk assessment normally would include looking at whether you have seizures or not, how your seizures affect you, and what the environment or activity is.

It might include the following:. Risk assessments can help to identify practical ideas for reducing risk to make situations safer. Some issues around risk are specific to girls and women with epilepsy. This depends on their age, type and number of seizures and any medication they are on. Hormone levels change during puberty, periods, pregnancy and through the menopause. For some girls and women, there is a link between hormones and when they have seizures.

This means that they may be more likely to have seizures, and be at greater risk of injury because of seizures, at these times. There are specific issues around pregnancy for women with epilepsy.

Women with epilepsy who take AEDs during pregnancy can have a slightly higher risk of having a baby with a birth abnormality or developmental problem than women with epilepsy who do not take AEDs. Different AEDs vary in the risk they pose.

However, it is important not to stop taking any AEDs without speaking to your doctor first. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency MHRA states that sodium valproate should not be prescribed to girls or women who are pregnant, or who may become pregnant in future, unless it is the only effective drug for them and they are on a pregnancy prevention programme.

This risk needs to be balanced with the risk of injury to the mother and baby if seizures are not controlled with medication. In rare cases, risks of uncontrolled seizures can mean very serious injury, or even death. Because these issues are often complicated and specific to each woman, it is important that women talk to their epilepsy specialist before becoming pregnant.

This is called 'preconception counselling' and focuses on making sure AED treatment is right, for the mother to get the best seizure control, and for the baby. Everyone has some brain cell loss as they get older. Whether seizures cause any extra loss of brain cells is not clear. This may depend on the type and length of seizure that the person has.

Memory can be affected during or after a seizure. This can be because brain cells in parts of the brain responsible for memory can be sensitive to the effect of seizures. How long it takes to recover can vary from one person to another, and even after fully recovering from a seizure, some people's memory might be permanently affected.

If you are worried about this, you might like to talk to your neurologist or doctor about how your epilepsy might affect you. As with many other medical conditions, for some people there is a risk of dying due to their epilepsy.

In the UK there are around deaths related to epilepsy a year. Some of these deaths are caused by complications during or after a seizure.