Patient's question:
In my family, there is no history of epilepsy. My father's aunt's children have mental illness. While my mother gave birth to three sons, all of whom have epilepsy, my daughter does not have this condition. I got married and gave birth to a daughter who is now six years old. Now, I have just given birth to a son, and I am wondering if he will inherit it? He is less than a month old now. Can I have a check-up to see if he has epilepsy?Doctor's answer:
Hello! It must be made clear that epilepsy is not congenitally inherited and is not an incurable disease. There are many different types of epilepsy, and most cases are acquired postnatally. Some forms of epilepsy do have a genetic predisposition, but the inheritance is not very definite. Clinically speaking, epilepsy with a genetic tendency is generally easier to treat and has a better prognosis. On the other hand, acquired epilepsy caused by factors such as trauma or post-encephalitis sequelae is quite stubborn. Unless both partners are epilepsy patients (in which case the risk of their children developing epilepsy is 2% to 4%), most epilepsy patients should be able to marry and have children. For more questions, you can consult experts online in a timely manner. Wishing you a speedy recovery.