Congenital conditions
Congenital conditions are the ones people are born with. These may be a result of a genetic mutation, infection or some other environmental agent. Some common congenital conditions which relate to epilepsy are
- Down syndrome: epilepsy in Down syndrome patients may have an onset in first to second years of life, or it may occur in late adulthood. The associated defects in brain development are a possible explanation. Moreover, there may be other triggers like cardiac arrhythmias, and progressive deterioration of brain function which can give rise to epilepsy in these patients.
- Neurofibromatosis: it is another genetic disorder which causes tumorigenesis on the nerve tissue. About 4-7% of these patients tend to get epilepsy. However, the underlying link is still under debate, as the tumor on the nerves does not appear to be an epileptic origin.