Physician resources: First unprovoked seizure

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Neurological Terms Brain Anatomy Nervous System Disorders Diagnostic Tests

A seizure occurs when part(s) of the brain receives a burst of abnormal electrical signals that temporarily interrupts normal electrical brain function. The incidence of seizures is high before the child's first birthday. Approximately 3 to 5 percent of all children may experience a seizure. While the exact cause of the seizure may not be known, the more common seizures are caused by the following:

• In newborns and infants: Birth trauma, congenital problems, fever, or metabolic or chemical imbalances in the body.
• In children, adolescents and young adults: Alcohol or drugs, trauma to the head or infection.
• Other possible causes of seizures may include: Brain tumor, neurological problems, drug withdrawal or medications.

For more information about the evaluation and treatment of a first, unprovoked seizure in a child or adolescent, click the links below:

• Practice parameter: Treatment of a child with a first, unprovoked seizure. (American Academy of Neurology)
• Practice parameter: Evaluating a first, nonfebrile seizure in children. (American Academy of Neurology)