- With Mayo Clinic neurologist
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Dr. Jerry Swanson is a board-certified neurologist at Mayo Clinic and is a professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He has a special interest in headache disorders and medical education.
Dr. Swanson, a Lacon, Ill., native, was appointed to the Mayo Clinic staff in 1982 and works in the Department of Neurology with about 90 other physicians. He formerly chaired the Headache Division in the Neurology Department at Mayo Clinic and works with headache subspecialists around the world. He has published and lectured widely on headache disorders. He also serves as Assistant Dean for Assessment in Mayo Medical School.
"In a manner similar to the printing press, Internet technology enables the unprecedented ability to communicate with the global community about health information," Dr. Swanson says. "There is no doubt that the knowledgeable individual contributes greatly to his or her own health care, and now we can share information much more widely."
"There is much information already available about health care on the Internet. Unfortunately, much of it is not founded on sound principles. It is exciting to be a part of the MayoClinic.com team and contribute to the creation of a reliable and timely health resource."
Dr. Swanson is the neurology editor for "Mayo Clinic Family Health Book" and has reviewed articles for "Mayo Clinic Health Letter" and "Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource." He is also editor-in-chief of the "Mayo Clinic on Headache" book, published in 2004. In 2008 the magazine "Women's Health" named him one of America's Top Doctors for Women.
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Treatments and drugs (2)
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Lifestyle and home remedies (1)
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Question
Multiple sclerosis: Can it cause seizures?
Is there any connection between multiple sclerosis and epilepsy?
Answer
from Jerry W. Swanson, M.D.
Epileptic seizures occur more frequently in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) than in the general population. A 2003 overview of research indicates a seizure prevalence of 2.3 percent in adults with multiple sclerosis. In the general population (those who don't have MS), the seizure prevalence is approximately 0.4 percent to 0.8 percent.
The cause of seizures in people with multiple sclerosis isn't completely understood. Seizures most likely result from lesions present in the cerebral cortex and adjacent white matter of people with multiple sclerosis. However, other factors may also play a role — especially since such lesions are very common and seizures are unusual in MS.
Seizures have been observed before and presumably marking the clinical onset of multiple sclerosis, and during acute bouts of MS. In some cases, seizures appear to be the only sign of a flare of MS. But there isn't general acceptance of seizures as the first and only sign of MS.
Most seizures can be controlled with anti-seizure medication.
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