Child's chance of epilepsy 'increased through mother's alcohol intake'

Women who drink during pregnancy are putting their child at a higher risk of developing epilepsy.

This is according to research published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

Epilepsy is diagnosed in around 75 people a day in the UK, however, not all of these people will go on to have the condition for life.

The study found that children suffering from alcohol spectrum disorder – a condition caused by maternal drinking during pregnancy – were six times more likely to suffer from epilepsy as they grew older.

Professor John Duncan, medical director at the National Society for Epilepsy, commented: "This study indicates that alcohol abuse during pregnancy can be associated with the child developing epilepsy, and is a further reason for the pregnant mother to not take alcohol during pregnancy."

In the UK, around one in 20 people will have a one-off epileptic seizure at some point in their lives.

However, the numbers who are affected by bright lights, in a condition known as photosensitive epilepsy, is much lower.

Epilepsy treatment news : 9 April 2010