Risk factors for seizures include maternal influences, perinatal factors, infant
characteristics, and family history. Below is a clear, print-friendly layout you can reuse in a webpage or
an emailer.
HIE accounts for 40–60% of seizures in term infants.
Cerebrovascular disorders are the second most common cause of neonatal seizures.
Intracranial infections are present in 5–10% of babies with neonatal seizures.
Cortical malformations account for 5–9% of all neonatal seizure cases.
Risk factors for seizures include maternal influences, perinatal factors, infant characteristics, and family
history.
1. Maternal influences
a. Advanced maternal age
b. Nulliparity
c. Diabetes
d. Substance abuse
e. Lack of prenatal screening
2. Perinatal factors
a. Fetal distress
b. Placental insufficiency or abruption
c. Cord prolapse
d. Prolonged second stage of labor
e. Prolonged premature rupture of membranes
f. Oligohydramnios
g. Peripartum fever or chorioamnionitis
3. Infant characteristics
a. Low birth weight
b. Low Apgar scores
c. Hypoglycemia
d. Male sex
e. Prematurity
f. Post-term birth
g. Congenital heart disease
4. Family history
a. Seizure disorder
b. Metabolic disorder
c. Bleeding or coagulation disorder
d. Head injury
e. Stroke
f. Brain infection
References:
1. Vasudevan C, Levene M. Epidemiology and etiology of neonatal seizures. Semin Fetal
Neonatal Med. 2013 Aug;18(4):185-91.