Please Help Me

[saptaparna]

Hi,

My Father in law and sister in law both have epilepsy ... my husband skipped the disease...what are my children's chances of getting it?

[Rae1889]

Well the specialist says that there is no conclusive data that says that Epilepsy is hereditary. That being said your husband has 2 siblings with it, and its possible that your children could have it. But there is no definite percentage range to say so.

Did their parents have it too?

[Nakamova]

Hi Saptaparna, welcome to CWE!

There's no way to predict for sure -- if you have access to a genetic counselor, you may be able to get more specific information about the particular odds for your family based on your husband's relatives. In general though, the great majority of parents with epilepsy do not have children with epilepsy.

Some other factors:

1) Age when epilepsy begins -- Children of people whose seizures started early in life (for example, before 20 years of age) have a greater risk of developing epilepsy than children of people whose seizures started later in life.

2) Mothers and fathers with epilepsy -- Studies have shown that the risk of epilepsy is about twice as high in children of women with epilepsy than in children of men with epilepsy.

Best,
Nakamova

[saptaparna]

Yes my husband's father had epilepsy. His daughter inherited that from him.

[dfwtexas]

My father developed seizures in his late 40s. He was on seizure meds for a couple of years and never had another seizure and is now 76. I developed it at age 47 and have not been so lucky. No one else in my family has it. Two of my father's siblings have been diagnosed with seizures late in life (in 70s and 80s).
I guess I understand your concern, however epilepsy is not always genetic. Do you have children that are having symptoms or seizures?

[Loudmouth]

According to neurologist's, epilepsy is not hereditary. HOWEVER, my paternal grandmother was diagnosed with E when she was about 27, then I was diagnosed when I was 22, and my daughter (who is now coming up for 12), was diagnosed when she was 9. My 2 boys seem seizure free. So I believe it is possible for it to be hereditary, and that it was passed down from my dad's mum, skipped a generation, then got me and then my daughter. Depends on your own personal experiences, I reckon. Just keep an eye on your kids and make a diary note of anything 'unusual' just in case.

[Meetz1064]

seriously consider getting hold of a genetic counselor, and having your children tested. Have them genetically compared to others with E in your family......

Oh, and welcome to CWE!!!

Take care,

Meetz

[saptaparna]

NO. I am just married. I was wanting to know if there is a way to have this prevented during childbirth. please let me know if there are options involved in such cases. I do not want the disease to become a part of the little lives that are to come. Thanks so much for all your replies

[RobinN]

Welcome - I am going to throw this out because it is usually never discussed in the doctors office. Something that I learned after my daughter began having seizures.
There are food sensitivities that can cause seizures. With some of these sensitivities it can run in families. For example celiac disease if one person has it, there is 1:10 chance someone else in the family has it. Seizures have been connected with this.

Any intestinal distress with any of the family members?
(though this is not always a symptom of the sensitivity)

[dfwtexas]

Epilepsy is not preventable. I guess if you opt not to have children, that would be the only preventable way. As any parent know, being a parent comes with concerns, worries that your child will be healthy. But at the same time, I have friends that had perfectly healthy children who died young due to accidents. None of those people would have never opted not to have children if they would have known. They are greatful for having their children for every day they had them. I can also say the same for parents I know that had children with serious illness or special needs. There is no guarantee that comes with parenthood.
I can only guess for you to post this is a sign of your lack of knowledge of epilepsy. Since this month is National Epilepsy Awareness, it would be a great opportunity for you to learn about it. Have you spent much time talking about Epilepsy with your in-laws?

[joan]

ANother thought, There is no known E in either side of my xhusbands family or mine, YET BOTH my kids have juvenile myoclonic epilepsy.

Sometimes it just seems the luck of the draw.

I wish you well
joan*

[Nakamova]

Hi Saptaparna,

There is no way to have epilepsy prevented during childbirth. As I noted above, the odds do not necessarily suggest that your children will have or develop epilepsy. There are many causes of epilepsy, some perhaps with genetic roots, but many more associated with head trauma, allergies, nutritional imbalances, and certain illnesses like encephalitis or meningitis. One thing that is known is that early diagnosis and treatment can often make a big difference in the course of epilepsy. So if you are aware of the slight possibility that your potential children may be vulnerable, you can be alert and proactive when it comes to their health care, especially with things like diet and neurofeedback. A tremendous amount of research is being done about brain chemistry and epilepsy (though even more would be better), and there is reason to hope that a wider variety of effective treatment options will be available in the future.

One quick note: Epilepsy is not a "disease" but a disorder. While it can have progressive aspects (especially if untreated), it is not considered degenerative, and is not communicable.

[Meetz1064]

misunderstood the question earlier. Nakamova & jgbmartin are right. Epilepsy is NOT preventable. It shows up in ANYONE, at ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. It doesn't matter what age, either. E even shows up in people in their 80s. It is truly a non-discriminatory disorder.

[Cetacean]

misunderstood the question earlier. Nakamova & jgbmartin are right. Epilepsy is NOT preventable. It shows up in ANYONE, at ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. It doesn't matter what age, either. E even shows up in people in their 80s. It is truly a non-discriminatory disorder.

My epilepsy was preventable, if I understand my history right. I believe it the consequence of a bout of asphyxia at age five from some childhood illness.

I would not be epileptic, IMHO, if the pediatrician my mother had see me that afternoon had noticed that I was at risk, or had my doctor father come home from work to whisk me off to the hospital sooner, or had my mother known what to do about my blue lips on her own, or had she not innocently trusted the pediatrician or had the pediatrician been paying attention - or had I not gotten ill. All of these circumstances were preventable - especially had anyone known in advance this might happen.

Perhaps what you all mean is that epilepsy is not predictable. -?

What is predictable may be preventable.

Truly it is a non-discriminatory disorder; just a chink in our generally robust human biology.

The only justice in epilepsy is that it does not discriminate; it can happen to anyone.

[Meetz1064]

right, Cetacean, in that it is not predictable.

HOWEVER, every person is born with a seizure threshold. Some are lower than others, and events in their lives cause that threshold to lower enough that a seizure occurs, or even a seizure disorder. While the EVENTS may be preventable, the seizure threshold itself is NOT.

So, truly, E is not preventable. If you are born with a low seizure threshold, you will, at some point in time, eventually seize. Whether or not that is repeatedly, again depends on the threshold.

It's even hard to know about those who have had TBI's and seizures from war injuries--their seizure threshold may have been much higher at one point in time, but events in their life (lack of sleep during the war for starters) could have dropped it, and then add in the injuries....do you see where I'm going? I'm getting tired, and I don't know if I'm making sense....

It could truly be a debate.

Just my two cents......

Meetz