Is epilepsy hereditary?

i was born with a disease called tuberus sclerosis which causes epilepsy for me among other things. however i was wondering anyone knows if it (epilepsy) is heriditary that would be awesome. i have had it since day one, where it was active for the first three years of my life and went dorment for years until it became active again at 15. it is now controlled with meds and i live a normal life. i was just wondering if anyone can help...

There is a lot of research and discussion on this very subject. There are several genes that seem to be linked to certain kinds of epilepsy in certain cases, but it's a lot more complex than that. The main factors in whether or not a child can inherit epilepsy are gender (mothers are more likely to pass it on than fathers) and the cause of the epilepsy (epilepsy is sometimes caused by diseases that may be passed on).

In the worst case scenario the risk of a child with epileptic parents having epilepsy are only about 10% greater than in the normal population.

Short answer: Don't worry too much about it. Even if your child were to have epilepsy, you have experience with it and can recognize the signs and symptoms quicker, and therefore get on the path to handling it quicker.

The links below go more in-depth.

The person who answered before me said it best, I believe. I have had seizures for over ten years. Mine started when I was about twenty - perhaps earlier, but that is my onset.
As far as epilepsy being hereditary, you would have to examine the types of seizures and there direct cause. However, science has yet to offer definitive proof. As such, I believe as the previous person said - it is about quality of life in this issue of seizures. You have dealt with and moved on in life; not allowing the seizures to slow you down. If your offspring follows the same path, then you would be the best teacher. Although, I would not even visit these thoughts. Besides, in most cases (notwithstanding a physiological cause), seizures can be just as simply linked to stress.

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