Brain damage or injury, as well as a family history of epilepsy or other neurological abnormalities, may increase a person’s risk of developing epilepsy. 

Anything that disrupts the function of the brain can cause epilepsy. Roughly half of all seizures have no known cause (sometimes called idiopathic epilepsy), according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). However, certain conditions may cause or trigger recurrent seizures.

Factors that may trigger epileptic seizures include:

• Brain injury. People who have experienced some sort of brain trauma, such as a severe head injury, are at a high risk of developing epilepsy. Trauma to the brain may disturb the functioning of the neurons, which may lead them to misfire and cause seizures. Many people who sustain a head injury experience a seizure within weeks of the injury. However, these are sometimes isolated events and do not always mean that the person will develop epilepsy.
  

  

• Genetic abnormalities. Some forms of epilepsy have been found to run in families and are thought to be caused by genetic abnormalities. There are many genes that have been linked to epilepsy. However, only a small proportion of epilepsy types are believed to develop as a direct result of genetic abnormalities. Instead, studies have shown that people with certain genetic abnormalities are more susceptible to seizures caused by other factors, such as brain trauma.
  
  
• Infections. Certain infections such as meningitis, encephalitis and brain abscesses can result in recurrent seizures. In some cases, successful treatment of the underlying infection can resolve the epilepsy. However, some infections may cause irreparable damage to neurons in the brain.
  
  
• Tumors. Tissue growth in the brain can cause pressure to build within the skull and may disrupt neuron function. Epileptic seizures that are caused by brain tumors usually begin as partial seizures but may develop into generalized seizures as the tumor grows. Surgery can sometimes be used to remove the tumor, although this may merely reduce rather than eliminate seizures.
  
  
• Other disorders. Epilepsy can also develop as a result of other disorders that may affect brain function, such as Alzheimer’s disease and cerebral palsy. People who have had a heart attack or stroke, where the brain is deprived of oxygen for a period of time, are also more at increased risk of developing epilepsy.