Head Injury

Head Injury

Head trauma is an important cause of seizures and epilepsy. Although it is commonly accepted that a remote injury (that is, one which occurred at some time in the past) can cause epilepsy, there is no agreement on how extensive or of what type that injury must be. It is known that the risk for epilepsy increases substantially if there are open or penetrating wounds, however. On the other hand, trauma that produces only brief or no loss of consciousness does not predispose to epilepsy, nor does a minor head injury. Sometimes several years will pass between the original head injury and the development of seizures and epilepsy.

For information on head injuries that occur during a seizure, click here.