ABSTRACT
Epilepsy is a chronic disease that can be the result of different brain insults such as developmental disorders, brain tumors, hypoxic-ischemic events and trauma (symptomatic epilepsies). However, still in 30-40% of patients no cause for the epilepsy is found (idiopathic epilepsies). Recently, various genetic abnormalities have been described in idiopathic epilepsies. There is also substantial evidence that the immune system can play an important primary or secondary role in the epileptogenic process. This is underscored by the possible antiepileptogenic properties of immunotherapy (especially steroids and immunoglobulins). This chapter provides evidence that some forms of epilepsy have an immunological basis and that there is a higher incidence of epilepsy in well-known immunological disorders. We do not cover the various immunological abnormalities (serum immunoglobulins, cellular immunity, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) types, autoantibodies and cytokines) that have been described in mostly heterogeneous groups of epileptic patients1-4.
