Patient's question:
I am 24 years old and have epilepsy. It suddenly recurred when I was 15. My whole body twitched, became stiff, and I collapsed to the ground, losing consciousness. I foamed at the mouth, my face turned purple, and I felt extremely cold. My mother also has this disease. I am planning to have a child and wonder if my child will inherit the disease from me across generations?Doctor's answer:
There is sporadic intergenerational genetic interference, which is not significant for the majority of people. The extent of interference is primarily related to the cause. In primary epilepsy patients, the incidence rate among relatives is 3%–4%, while in secondary epilepsy patients, it is 0%–1%. This demonstrates that primary interference is more significant, and the closer the blood relationship, the higher the incidence rate. If both parents have epilepsy or one child has already been affected, the incidence rate in the third generation is 20%. Therefore, although primary epilepsy patients can get divorced, they should avoid pregnancy due to interference. When epilepsy patients decide on direct relatives, they should not choose individuals who have had epilepsy or have a family history of the disease. The farther the blood relationship, the better.