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Seizures in Children (cont.)

Seizures in Children Causes

Although seizures have many known causes, for 3 out of 4 children, the cause remains unknown. In many of these cases, there is some family history of seizures. The remaining causes include infections such as meningitis, developmental problems such as cerebral palsy, head trauma, and many other less common causes.

About one fourth of the children who are thought to have seizures are actually found to have some other disorder after a complete evaluation. These other disorders include fainting, breath-holding spells, night terrors, migraines, and psychiatric disturbances.

  • The most common type of seizure in children is the febrile seizure, which occurs when an infection associated with a high fever develops.

  • Other reasons for seizures are these:

    • Infections

    • Metabolic disorders

    • Drugs

    • Medications

    • Poisons

    • Disordered blood vessels

    • Bleeding inside the brain

    • Many yet undiscovered problems



Next: Seizures in Children Symptoms »

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