Most seizures are symptoms of impaired brain activity and imbalance of electrical and chemical exchange among the brain cells. Majority of seizures in children have unknown root causes and remain unidentified. About 70% of adolescents simply grow out of absence seizures in children while the rest, unfortunately, develop juvenile myoclonic epilepsy condition with its stronger symptoms like leg and arm jerks, and even an entire body convulsions.

Let’s review the top 10 causes of seizures in children:

1. Injuries to the brain during birth might cause internal brain hemorrhage and later on result in focal epilepsy, a condition where a specific part of the brain affected involving only separate body parts and not the whole body convulsions.

2. Maternal substance abuse or dangerous drug use during pregnancy greatly contribute to the causes of seizures in children.

3. Birth defects and certain congenital conditions like Down syndrome can impair proper brain function.

4. Genetic predisposition or, when epilepsy or seizures run in the family, is a very important factor in the causes of seizures in children.

5. Extreme cases of high uncontrollable fever can result in the onset of febrile seizures, a potentially dangerous condition which should be carefully monitored.

6. Meningitis or encephalitis infections are also considered important culprits in the causes of seizures in children.

7. Major head traumas after accidents can trigger grand mal epilepsy, a condition involving nerve electrical disorder over the entire surface of the brain causing tonic clonic seizure symptoms. In the tonic state of the seizure the body becomes stiff following a clonic stage where a rhythmic body convulsions are taking place.

8. Malnutrition, namely, lack of glucose, calcium and sodium can also affect the causes of seizures in children.

9. Juvenile substance abuse causes irreversible damage to the fragile brain cells resulting in seizures.

10. Brain tumors are very rare but potentially dangerous causes of seizures in children.

Figuring out the underlying causes of seizures in children will help control them and find the best treatment in your case.