Epileptiform convulsions occur as manifestations of various disorders, such as brain injury, infectious diseases in infants and uremia. Epilepsy that cannot be attributed to any known source is termed essential or idiopathic.
CLINICAL EVIDENCE
Attention has recently been focused on the theory that some obscure epileptiform convulsions may be due to hypersensitiveness. Research along this line has been undertaken by allergists as well as by neurologists. The former have found that in addition to the respiratory tract many other parts of the body, such as the genito-urinary and gastrointestinal systems, are capable of manifesting allergic symptoms (Rowe1). It was, therefore, logical for them to include the central nervous system in their investigation as another possible seat of allergic manifestations (Vaughan2). Neurologists detected that epilepsy is occasionally associated with allergic conditions, especially migraine, and that the family history of epileptic members frequently points to hypersensitiveness. Spangler3