Epilepsy – Comorbidities Epilepsy and comorbidity

Epilepsy – Comorbidities Epilepsy and comorbidity According to the ILAE, an epileptic seizure is “a transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms due to abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain”1
Epilepsy, then, is “a disorder of the brain characterized by an enduring predisposition to generate epileptic seizures, and by the neurobiological, cognitive, psychological, and social consequences of this condition. The definition of epilepsy requires the occurrence of at least one epileptic seizure”1
Some have argued that epilepsy should not be seen as a disease or a disorder, but rather as a symptom – a manifestation of an underlying cause2
Seen in this way, rather than being an index disorder, epilepsy is the result of an underlying problem of the brain or a systemic disorder, and the comorbidities of epilepsy are the symptoms of that disorder2,3 Comorbidities occur across all forms of epilepsy4 ILAE=International League Against Epilepsy

1. Fisher et al. Epilepsia 2014;55(4):475–482; 2. Li et al. Lancet Neurol 2024;23(8):770–771;
3. Yuen et al. Epilepsy Behav 2018;78:57–61; 4. Scheffer et al. Epilepsia 2017;58(4):512–521 Comorbidities Aetiologies<br>