What Causes Epilepsy in Adults?

Epilepsy is a medical condition that causes seizures in patients. The Epilepsy Foundation reports that doctors diagnose 200,000 new incidents of epilepsy each year with 155,000 of new cases being diagnosed in people over the age of 15.

Head Injury

• Sometimes a head injury is the cause of epilepsy in adults. Such injuries typically stem from a blow to the head caused by an automobile crash, fall or other accident.

Dementia

• Often times, brain dementia eventually results in epilepsy, making it another frequent cause of the disease, particularly in older adults.

Diseases

• Diseases and infections that affect the neurological system, especially the brain, also cause epilepsy in adults. Examples of such diseases are meningitis, encephalitis and HIV.

Heart Attack and Stroke

• When a stroke or heart attack result in brain damage, epilepsy sometimes occurs. In fact, the Mayo Clinic reports that stroke is responsible for 50 percent of epilepsy cases in adults over age 65.

Considerations

• The Epilepsy Foundation reports that in 70 percent of all new epilepsy cases, including those found in adults, no particular cause is ever found.