Relationship Between Diabetes and Seizures

Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School

Relationship Between Diabetes and Seizures

Question:

Is there any relationship between type 1 diabetes and epilepsy? What might cause seizures that were not triggered by low blood sugar?

Answer

There is no obvious relationship between epilepsy and diabetes, except the one you point out — seizures caused by low blood sugar.

It is not always clear what causes epilepsy. The most common category for epilepsy is "unexplained" epilepsy. Other common causes are head injuries, brain artery problems (such as a stroke or bleeding), and developmental abnormalities that a person has had from birth.

Mary Pickett, M.D., is a lecturer for Harvard Medical School and an assistant professor of medicine at Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, OR. At OHSU, she practices general internal medicine and teaches medical residents and students.

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Last updated:	July 20, 2009

Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.

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