Unprovoked seizures in multiple sclerosis: Why are they rare?

Introduction: The frequency of seizures in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) ranges from 1.5% to 7.8% and is considerably more common than chance events. The etiopathogenesis of seizures in MS is still poorly understood.

Method: A review of the literature on seizures and MS using PubMed.

Results: Cortical gray matter involvement appears to be an all-too-common pathological finding in MS to play a primary role in the pathogenesis of seizures in MS patients. There is no clear relationship between seizures and the severity of MS. In approximately 10% of cases, a seizure is actually an initial neurological symptom of MS.

Conclusion: Searching for coherence in the occurrence of unprovoked seizures in MS directs attention to the dichotomy in MS pathology characterized by a complex intertwining of neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative processes. The appearance (or nonappearance) of seizures in MS in relation to disease activity and disease progression indicates a distinct clinical phenotype of MS that opens up new perspectives in MS research.