crew. 1  Ella Andersonas Piper. 2  Dan SchneiderCreator. 3  Dana OlsenCreator.  Dan 1  SchneiderWriter. Dana OlsenWriter.
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures over time. Seizures are episodes of uncontrolled and abnormal firing of brain cells that may cause changes in attention or behavior. Epilepsy occurs when permanent changes in the brain cause it to be too excitable or irritable. As a result, the brain sends out abnormal signals. This leads to repeated, unpredictable seizures. (A single seizure that does not happen again is not epilepsy.)
Electrolyte disorders frequently cause seizures (Table 1). Seizures are common in patients with sodium disorders, hypocalcemia, and hypomagnesemia (Victor and Ropper, 2001; Riggs, 2002). In such cases, seizures are usually generalized tonicâclonic, although partial seizures or other seizure types can occur. In all these cases, rapidly evolving electrolyte abnormalities are more likely to cause seizures than are those occurring gradually.