Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
Does my son have Epilepsy because of me?
Thu, 01/07/2010 - 21:05I have had Epilepsy practically all my life and they believe my son now, who is 17, has it too, after having a seizure last week and a few "staring spells" that have happened over the last year that he just told us about. What are the chances of him having Epilepsy too, and if the past 18 years have been bad for me with seizures, does that mean that his are going to be bad too? I'm trying not to blame myself for this but it's hard not to. I really need to talk to someone who understands what's going on.
Thank you for reading,
~Ronda~
Comments
Re: Does my son have Epilepsy because of me?
Submitted by phylisfjohnson on Fri, 2010-05-21 - 14:10
Just because you have a parent, sibling, cousin or aunt who has epilepsy doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have it also.
In fact, if you have a close relative with epilepsy, the chance of you having epilepsy is only about 2-8%, depending on the specific type of epilepsy.
The risk in the general population is about 1-2%. On the other hand, there is a 92-98% chance for the close relative of someone with epilepsy to NOT have the same condition!
So, even though the risk in families with epilepsy is higher than in the general population, most people with epilepsy do not have any relatives with seizures, and the great majority of parents with epilepsy do not have children with epilepsy.
Not everyone who carries genes making them more likely to develop epilepsy will do so. Even if the genes are passed on, not every generation in a family will have seizures. And so, like diabetes, epilepsy may skip a generation.
While epilepsy cannot currently be cured, for some people it does eventually go away. One study found that children with idiopathic epilepsy, or epilepsy with an unknown cause, had a 68 to 92 percent chance of becoming seizure-free by 20 years after their diagnosis.
The odds of becoming seizure-free are not as good for adults, or for children with severe epilepsy syndromes. But it is possible that seizures may decrease or even stop over time. This is more likely if the epilepsy has been well-controlled by medication or if the person has had epilepsy surgery.
The Genetics of Epilepsy
Clinical tests suggest that genetic abnormalities may be some of the most important factors contributing to epilepsy. Some types of epilepsy have been traced to an abnormality in a specific gene.
Researchers estimate that more than 500 genes could play a role in this disorder. However, it is increasingly clear that, for many forms of epilepsy, genetic abnormalities play only a partial role, perhaps by increasing a person’s susceptibility to seizures that are triggered by an environmental or external factor.
Like photosensitivity. (Did you know that 25 percent of people with primary generalized epilepsy are photosensitive?)
While abnormal genes sometimes cause epilepsy, they also may influence the disorder in subtler ways…
For example, one study showed that many people with epilepsy have an abnormally active version of a gene that increases resistance to drugs. This may help explain why anticonvulsant drugs do not work for some people.
Genes also may control other aspects of the body’s response to medications and each person’s susceptibility to seizures, or seizure threshold.
Abnormalities in the genes that control neuronal migration – a critical step in brain development – can lead to areas of misplaced or abnormally formed neurons in the brain that can cause epilepsy.
And in some cases, genes may contribute to development of epilepsy even in people with no family history of the disorder. These people may have a newly developed abnormality, or mutation, in an epilepsy-related gene.
It is not your "fault, Ronda! Phylis Feiner Johnson www.epilepsytalk.com
Just because you have a parent, sibling, cousin or aunt who has epilepsy doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll have it also.
In fact, if you have a close relative with epilepsy, the chance of you having epilepsy is only about 2-8%, depending on the specific type of epilepsy.
The risk in the general population is about 1-2%. On the other hand, there is a 92-98% chance for the close relative of someone with epilepsy to NOT have the same condition!
So, even though the risk in families with epilepsy is higher than in the general population, most people with epilepsy do not have any relatives with seizures, and the great majority of parents with epilepsy do not have children with epilepsy.
Not everyone who carries genes making them more likely to develop epilepsy will do so. Even if the genes are passed on, not every generation in a family will have seizures. And so, like diabetes, epilepsy may skip a generation.
While epilepsy cannot currently be cured, for some people it does eventually go away. One study found that children with idiopathic epilepsy, or epilepsy with an unknown cause, had a 68 to 92 percent chance of becoming seizure-free by 20 years after their diagnosis.
The odds of becoming seizure-free are not as good for adults, or for children with severe epilepsy syndromes. But it is possible that seizures may decrease or even stop over time. This is more likely if the epilepsy has been well-controlled by medication or if the person has had epilepsy surgery.
The Genetics of Epilepsy
Clinical tests suggest that genetic abnormalities may be some of the most important factors contributing to epilepsy. Some types of epilepsy have been traced to an abnormality in a specific gene.
Researchers estimate that more than 500 genes could play a role in this disorder. However, it is increasingly clear that, for many forms of epilepsy, genetic abnormalities play only a partial role, perhaps by increasing a person’s susceptibility to seizures that are triggered by an environmental or external factor.
Like photosensitivity. (Did you know that 25 percent of people with primary generalized epilepsy are photosensitive?)
While abnormal genes sometimes cause epilepsy, they also may influence the disorder in subtler ways…
For example, one study showed that many people with epilepsy have an abnormally active version of a gene that increases resistance to drugs. This may help explain why anticonvulsant drugs do not work for some people.
Genes also may control other aspects of the body’s response to medications and each person’s susceptibility to seizures, or seizure threshold.
Abnormalities in the genes that control neuronal migration – a critical step in brain development – can lead to areas of misplaced or abnormally formed neurons in the brain that can cause epilepsy.
And in some cases, genes may contribute to development of epilepsy even in people with no family history of the disorder. These people may have a newly developed abnormality, or mutation, in an epilepsy-related gene.
It is not your "fault, Ronda! Phylis Feiner Johnson www.epilepsytalk.com
Re: Does my son have Epilepsy because of me?
Submitted by survivingmomof2 on Fri, 2010-05-21 - 17:45
My son finally got to see the neurologist, and they say that he definately had a seizure. Our next step will be to see them again at the end of this month to have an EEG and a MRI done to see if they see anything. My neice is now having seizures, and she is 16. I have calmed down a lot, and no longer blame myself. He has had no seizures that we are aware of since then. Thank you for responding to my post. I actually forgot about posting anything on here. Thank you again, and God bless you Hun.
HUGS,
~Ronda~
My son finally got to see the neurologist, and they say that he definately had a seizure. Our next step will be to see them again at the end of this month to have an EEG and a MRI done to see if they see anything. My neice is now having seizures, and she is 16. I have calmed down a lot, and no longer blame myself. He has had no seizures that we are aware of since then. Thank you for responding to my post. I actually forgot about posting anything on here. Thank you again, and God bless you Hun.
HUGS,
~Ronda~
Re: Does my son have Epilepsy because of me?
Submitted by KaitlynBaitlyn on Thu, 2010-05-20 - 19:17
There are many different types of epilepsy out there, some you're born with and you grow out of, some you develop when you're older and even some that are more modified and mainly affect hands and arms. That being said, there are also many different kinds of epilepsy that can be hereditary and some that aren't. Like, for me I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was about 14 (about a year ago) and was suspected for having it for about a year before that but just petit mals and we didn't know about it because i wasn't born with it and nobody in my family had it. A few months ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with it, too. It had been hereditary and skipped a few decades and was passed to me.
Also, since epilepsy is a brain disorder and nobody has the same exact brain as others, the affects won't be exactly the same. There will probably be some kind of similarity but his body is what determines how bad his seizures are.
And it's not your fault. You can't help it if you passed it on. There are many different kinds of medicines and methods out there that help a lot. It'll be okay(:
There are many different types of epilepsy out there, some you're born with and you grow out of, some you develop when you're older and even some that are more modified and mainly affect hands and arms. That being said, there are also many different kinds of epilepsy that can be hereditary and some that aren't. Like, for me I was diagnosed with epilepsy when I was about 14 (about a year ago) and was suspected for having it for about a year before that but just petit mals and we didn't know about it because i wasn't born with it and nobody in my family had it. A few months ago, my grandmother was diagnosed with it, too. It had been hereditary and skipped a few decades and was passed to me.
Also, since epilepsy is a brain disorder and nobody has the same exact brain as others, the affects won't be exactly the same. There will probably be some kind of similarity but his body is what determines how bad his seizures are.
And it's not your fault. You can't help it if you passed it on. There are many different kinds of medicines and methods out there that help a lot. It'll be okay(: