Strokes May Lead to Epilepsy

"What is a Stroke?

A stroke happens when a clot blocks the blood supply to the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.¹ Every year, about 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke.¹ It is a leading cause of long-term disability and a leading cause of death.¹

Signs that someone is having a stroke are:

• Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or problems understanding speech.
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause.²

Call 911 right away if you or someone else has any of these symptoms.

Strokes Can Cause Seizures and Epilepsy³ 

Preventing Stroke

Lower your chance of having a stroke by:

• Controlling high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol
• Having a healthy weight
• Being physically active
• Eating a healthy diet
• Limiting alcohol
• Avoiding smoking.⁶

Epilepsy is a broad term used for a brain disorder that causes repeated seizures. There are many types of epilepsy, and there are also many different kinds of seizures.

A single seizure may happen soon after a stroke.³ You don’t necessarily have epilepsy if you have just one seizure, and you won’t necessarily develop it. Certain types of strokes, such as ones that cause bleeding, and more severe strokes may be more likely to cause epilepsy.³

One study found that among people who had strokes, 5% had one seizure and 7% developed epilepsy in the 30 months afterward.³

Epilepsy caused by strokes can usually be controlled with anti-seizure medicines.³ It’s important to take medicine as prescribed to keep seizures under control..."
Strokes and Epilepsy