Is there any connection between multiple sclerosis and epilepsy?

Answer From B Mark Keegan, M.D.

Epileptic seizures are more common in people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) than in those who don't have MS. While it's estimated that less than 3 percent of people without MS have seizures, about 2 to 5 percent of people with MS are thought to have active seizures.

Exactly why these seizures occur more often in people with MS isn't completely understood. MS lesions in certain areas of the brain might trigger these seizures. However, lesions are very common in MS, and seizures are unusual, so there are probably other factors that play a role in seizures, too.

Seizures may be the first noticeable sign of MS before diagnosis. Seizures can also occur during times when MS symptoms flare up. In some cases, seizures might be the only sign of an MS flare. But, the majority of seizures occur unrelated to MS relapses, and the occurrence of a seizure soon before diagnosis of MS may just be a chance occurrence.

Most seizures can be controlled with anti-seizure medication.

With

B Mark Keegan, M.D.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

July 08, 2020 See more Expert Answers

See also

  1. Acetyl-L-carnitine: Can it relieve MS fatigue?
  2. Adult bed-wetting: A concern?
  3. Auditory evoked potential test
  4. Bladder control: Lifestyle strategies
  5. Bladder control problems: Medications
  6. Bladder control problems: How to seek treatment
  7. Explaining multiple sclerosis
  8. CBD safety
  9. Demyelinating disease: What can you do about it?
  10. Emerging treatments for multiple sclerosis
  11. Exercise and multiple sclerosis
  12. Fatigue
  13. Functional electrical stimulation
  14. Intermittent fasting
  15. Locomotor training
  16. Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
  17. Medical marijuana
  18. MRI
  19. Multiple sclerosis
  20. Infographic: Multiple Sclerosis
  21. What is multiple sclerosis? An expert explains
  22. Multiple sclerosis management
  23. Multiple sclerosis FAQs
  24. Multiple sclerosis therapy
  25. Numbness
  26. Physical therapy
  27. Plasma exchange
  28. Prednisone risks, benefits
  29. Prednisone withdrawal: Why taper down slowly?
  30. Seeing inside the heart with MRI
  31. Inheritance patterns
  32. Surgery for stress urinary incontinence in women
  33. Urinary incontinence
  34. MRI
  35. Vitamin D and MS: Any connection?
  36. Vitamins for MS: Do supplements make a difference?