I want to know if Epilepsy is hereditary. My daughter wants to marry a nice young man who is under treatment for epilepsy. I am worried if my grandchildren will also have epilepsy
Titus (by SMS)
Epilepsy can be genetic. In some cases, genetic mutations may cause epilepsy. People may inherit these mutations from a parent, or they may be born with a new genetic mutation. Some types of epilepsy are genetic. This means the condition occurs due to specific gene changes, or mutations.
Genetic factors cause up to 70% of epilepsy cases. A person has a higher risk of inheriting epilepsy from a mother with epilepsy than from a father with epilepsy. People may inherit abnormal genes from a parent, which increases the chance of them having seizures. In some cases, genetic mutations that causes seizures may occur in a child without them inheriting the condition from a parent. Genetic epilepsy may also occur due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Some researchers believe it is likely that genetics play a part in all cases of epilepsy. This means that anyone who develops epilepsy, through any cause, may have always had a genetic predisposition to epilepsy. Genetic epilepsy can cause many different types of seizures, which have a range of signs and symptoms.
People may be more likely to have genetic epilepsy if they: have a family history of epilepsy, develop epilepsy very early on in life but have normal blood tests and MRI scans. People can inherit epilepsy from either parent.
According to some recent studies, there is a higher chance of people inheriting epilepsy from a mother with epilepsy than from a father with epilepsy. If both parents have gene mutations that link to epilepsy, it increases the chance that a child will develop epilepsy.
It is also possible for both parents to have epilepsy and for a child to be seizure-free. Children may have a higher risk of inheriting epilepsy if they have parents who have generalized seizures rather than focal seizures.
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, it is most common for epilepsy to start in early childhood or older age. It is more common for children to develop epilepsy in the first year of life. The rate of developing epilepsy slowly decreases until becoming stable at around 10 years old. The rate of developing epilepsy increases again after the age of 55 years.
This is due to elevated risk factors, such as stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and brain tumors. One of these factors, or a combination of factors, may cause epilepsy: an inherited genetic predisposition to epilepsy, which may come from one or both parents. a new genetic mutation in a child that causes epilepsy.
READ ALSO: ‘I’ll not repeat it again’, Bobrisky pleads as Court convicts him for Naira abuse
and then