Patient's question:
My sister-in-law has had epilepsy for many years and has been taking medication for a long time without any further episodes. She divorced my brother four years ago, and during that time, she stopped taking medication and didn't have any seizures. Now, the elderly in the family are urging her to have a child. My brother asked me to check if it could be hereditary through generations.Doctor's answer:
According to expert explanations, based on the causes of epilepsy, it can be divided into two types: primary and secondary. Secondary epilepsy, also known as symptomatic epilepsy, has clear causes, unclear causes, or those that are difficult to identify. It is referred to as primary or idiopathic epilepsy. Epilepsy caused by trauma, infections, etc., is never inherited across generations, while primary epilepsy has a close relationship with inheritance across generations. Therefore, the inheritance of epilepsy across generations is not absolute.