Health Dictionary Find a Doctor

Seizure risk factors

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Shakiba Hassanzadeh, MD[2]

Overview

Overview

Risk factors that can precipitate or provoke seizure include: excessive sleep deprivation, alcohol use, illicit drug use, some medications that reduce the seizure threshold, toxins, homeostasis abnormality due to organ failure, metabolic abnormalities, and medical and surgical histories that may be important in assessing the patient’s risk for future seizures.

Risk Factors

Risk Factors

Risk factors that can precipitate or provoke seizure may include:[1][2][3]

References

References

  1. Pohlmann-Eden, Bernd; Legg, Karen T. (2013). “Treatment of first seizure in adults: A comprehensive approach integrating 10 key principles”. Epileptology. Elsevier BV. 1 (1): 61–67. doi:10.1016/j.epilep.2013.01.005. ISSN 2212-8220.
  2. Delanty N, Vaughan CJ, French JA (1998). “Medical causes of seizures”. Lancet. 352 (9125): 383–90. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(98)02158-8. PMID 9717943.
  3. Gavvala JR, Schuele SU (2016). “New-Onset Seizure in Adults and Adolescents: A Review”. JAMA. 316 (24): 2657–2668. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.18625. PMID 28027373.

Looking for the patient version?

Back to the patient-friendly article

© 2026 MyEClinic – IFTM Institut für Telematik in der Medizin GmbH