Isolated seizure (25%) | No cause found |
Epilepsy (30%) | Idiopathic, complex partial, Rolandic, etc. |
Symptomatic seizure (30%) | CNS structural abnormalities (congenital, prenatal or perinatal, shunt obstruction) |
Intracranial infection (bacterial/viral, diffuse/localised) |
Ingestion (deliberate, accidental) |
Trauma (head injury, non accidental injury) |
Tumour |
Intracranial haemorrhage |
Hypertension |
Metabolic (low glucose, calcium, magnesium, high and low sodium, amino and organic acidurias, etc) |
Anoxic (breath holding attacks, respiratory pathology) |
Neurocutaneous syndromes |
CNS degenerative diseases |
Neonatal/early infant seizure (<3 months) (15%) | In addition to the above causes: |
| Hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (from birth) |
| CNS infections (acute and congenital) |
| Fifth day fits |
| Drug withdrawal |
| Pyridoxine dependency |
Other diagnoses (not true seizures) | Reflex anoxic “seizures” syncope, arrhythmias, seudoseizures |