Epilepsy Talk

If You DON’T Have Epilepsy, Then WHAT Is It???  | October 17, 2025

You might call them “imitators” of epilepsy, but that’s kind of extreme. You might say “similar” or you might say “confused”, which I think they are.

In a previous article titled “Conditions Commonly Misdiagnosed as Epilepsy”,  I thought I had it all covered.

* First Seizures

* Febrile Seizures

* Nonepileptic Seizure Disorder (NESD)

* Eclampsia

* Meningitis

* Encephalitis

* Migraine

* Sleep Disorders

* Brain Injury

* Cardiac Disorders

* TIAs

* Mental Health

* Failed Drug Therapy.

But, believe it or not, that was just the tip of the iceberg.

I dug deeper and researched further and here is what I learned about signs and signals which might cause epilepsy, might show the same symptoms of epilepsy, or might be masquerading in their own way as epilepsy…

Tumor

Tumors can cause epileptic seizures.

According to Cornell University, some brain tumors can cause seizures over a prolonged period without causing other symptoms; such tumors are usually slow growing, benign lesions.

Brain tumors that can cause epileptic seizures include glial tumors, glioneuronal tumors and other tumors of the temporal lobe.

Glial tumors, such as astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas, develop from brain cells known as glia that surround neurons or nerve cells, and that glial tumors are categorized as fast-growing or slow-growing.

Slow-growing glial tumors account for up to 70 percent of tumors that cause epilepsy.

Glioneuronal tumors, such as gangliogliomas and dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial, or DNT tumors, are a combination of glial and neuronal cells, and they often cause partial seizures.

Other tumors in the brain’s temporal lobe, especially ones that affect a person’s hippocampus and amygdala — two important brain structures — can also produce epileptic seizures.

Stroke

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, or NINDS — a division of the National Institutes of Health — states that the brain’s attempts to repair itself following a traumatic head injury, stroke or other problem can inadvertently produce aberrant nerve connections that cause epileptic seizures.

Stroke, heart attacks and other conditions that starve the brain of oxygen may cause epilepsy in some cases.

According to the organization Stroke Awareness For Everyone, or SAFE, one of the many after-effects of stroke is the onset of epileptic-like seizures or recurrent seizures.

Among older individuals who develop seizures for the first time, stroke is often the underlying cause.

SAFE notes that stroke-related seizures are usually the result of hemorrhages in which blood squirts out of an artery into brain tissue.

The pressure of the blood tears the brain tissue as it creates a space for itself outside the artery.

Infection

According to Epilepsy Ontario, approximately 1 percent of children in industrialized nations experience a central nervous system, or CNS, infection by the age of 10, and those children that survive the infection have a 5 to 10 percent greater likelihood of developing epilepsy.

Possible sources of CNS infection include aseptic meningitis, bacterial meningitis, viral encephalitis and brain abscesses.

Syncope

Syncope (fainting), a brief lapse of consciousness in which blood flow to the brain is temporarily reduced, can mimic epilepsy.

It is often misdiagnosed as a seizure. Patients with syncope do not have the rhythmic contracting and then relaxing of the body’s muscles.

Panic Attacks

In some patients, partial seizures may resemble a panic disorder.

Symptoms of panic disorder include palpitations, sweating, trembling, sensation of breathlessness, chest pain, feeling of choking, nausea, faintness, chills or flushes, fear of losing control, and fear of dying.

Narcolepsy

Narcolepsy, a sleep disorder that causes a sudden loss of muscle tone and excessive daytime sleepiness, can be confused with epilepsy.

Malnutrition

Early malnutrition can lead to neuronal deficit, with cognitive alterations and growth and developmental disorders in experimental models, possibly causing more susceptibility to seizures.

Apparently, malnutrition is not a direct cause of epilepsy, but it can decrease the threshold to seizure.

Hypoglycemia

A condition in which blood sugar (glucose) levels are abnormally low.

It is a serious condition because the body uses glucose for fuel, and when levels are too low, many organ systems (particularly the brain and nervous system) malfunction.

Not every seizure is epilepsy.

Those that are due to other conditions such as a high fever in an infant, brain infections, or alcohol or drug withdrawal may not be called epilepsy.

Some symptoms that look like a seizure are actually caused by problems in other parts of the body.

Fainting, migraine headaches, narcolepsy, drug use, mental illness, heart conditions and many other medical problems can cause symptoms similar to a seizure.

Any condition that affects the brain has the potential to cause a seizure.

Genuine causes of seizures (but not necessarily epilepsy) can include:

Abnormal levels of sodium or glucose in the blood

Brain injury (such as stroke or a head injury)

Brain problems that occur before birth (congenital brain defects)

Brain injury that occurs to the baby during labor or childbirth

Phenylketonuria (PKU), which can cause seizures in infants

Brain tumor or bleeding in the brain

Dementia, such as Alzheimer’s disease

High fever

Illnesses that cause the brain to deteriorate

Infections that affect the brain, such as meningitis, encephalitis, neurosyphilis, or AIDS

Kidney or liver failure

Use of illegal street drugs, such as cocaine or amphetamines

Withdrawal from alcohol after drinking a lot on most days

Withdrawal from certain drugs, including some painkillers and sleeping pills

This includes head injury, abnormal brain development, lack of oxygen during birth, brain tumors, strokes, diseases of the heart and it’s blood supply, toxins such as lead poisoning, infections, diseases of the brain and nerves, and disorders of the body’s chemistry.

Epilepsy is also associated with other disorders like autism, TB, and cerebral palsy.

This is one reason why the disease is often difficult to diagnose and why, for some, it remains such a confusing disease.

In short (not to sound like a cliche), things are seldom what they seem. And a good diagnostion is worth his/her weight in gold.

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Resources:

https://www.epilepsydiagnosis.org/epilepsy-imitators.html

https://www.everydayhealth.com/epilepsy/seizures-not-caused-epilepsy/

http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/111751/medical_conditions/causes_of_epilepsy_symptoms_and_treatment.html

http://www.webmd.com/epilepsy/conditions-similar-to-epilepsy

http://www.everydayhealth.com/brain-tumor/brain-tumors-and-seizures.aspx

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21518343

http://www.seizure-journal.com/article/S1059-1311(01)90532-1/abstract?cc=y=

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