Can birth trauma increase the chances of epilepsy later in life? Yes, birth trauma that leads to brain injuries can raise the risk of epilepsy in children as they grow.
Birth trauma happens when a baby experiences injury during delivery, often from lack of oxygen, bleeding in the brain, or other stresses. These events can damage brain cells and disrupt normal electrical activity, which is what causes seizures and epilepsy. For example, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE, is a common brain injury from oxygen deprivation around birth. It shows up in MRI scans as damage to deep brain areas and is linked to higher odds of seizures, with studies showing an odds ratio of 2.7 for this risk.
Children who faced oxygen shortages, low birth weight, early delivery, or low Apgar scores at birth have a greater chance of epilepsy later. Among babies with severe brain injuries from birth, epilepsy joins other issues like cerebral palsy and learning challenges as a frequent outcome. Neonatal seizures, which affect about 1 in 1,000 to 3,000 newborns and often stem from birth-related brain harm, boost the odds of lifelong epilepsy. Up to 60 percent of babies with certain early seizure types, like infantile spasms tied to birth oxygen loss, go on to have epilepsy that is hard to control.
Not every case of birth trauma leads to epilepsy. Mild injuries often result in normal development, especially with quick cooling treatments for HIE. But severe cases, infections, or bleeds like intracranial hemorrhage triple the seizure risk, per MRI data from hundreds of newborns. Other factors, such as genetic issues or metabolic problems, can play a role too, sometimes alongside birth trauma.
Doctors use tools like EEG brain wave tests and MRIs to spot these risks early. Better seizure control in newborns, with drugs like levetiracetam, may cut long-term damage and epilepsy chances. Close monitoring after birth helps catch problems fast.
Sources
https://nybirthinjury.com/birth-injuries/brain-injuries/
https://www.auntminnie.com/clinical-news/mri/article/15633857/mri-highlights-abnormal-findings-after-seizure-in-neonates
https://www.consultant360.com/articles/neonatal-seizure-presenting-manifestation-incontinentia-pigmenti
https://www.cureepilepsy.org/epilepsy-explained/infantile-spasms-explained/
https://aesnet.org/abstractslisting/a-phase-2-dose-escalation-study-of-levetiracetam-in-the-treatment-of-neonatal-seizures-preliminary-results
