A survey of epileptic disorders in Southwest France: Seizures in elderly patients

Abstract

An underestimation of epileptic seizures occurring in aged patients is likely. In an epidemiological survey undertaken in Southwest France, the annual incidence rate per 100,000 persons 60 years or older was 127.2 for all seizures (101.3 in persons aged 60 to 69, 150.4 in those aged 70 to 79, and 139.9 in persons 80 years or older). It was 34.1 for symptomatic localization-related and undetermined epilepsies, 16.1 for isolated seizures, and 77.0 for seizures related to an acute situation, such as metabolic derangements, stroke, or head trauma. In this survey, seizures with an onset age of 60 or older represented 28.0% of the confirmed epilepsies, 17.5% of the isolated seizures, and 52.6% of the acute symptomatic seizures. These figures differ dramatically from those in most previous reports concluding that age-specific incidence declined through adult life. They are closer to the data from more recent reports. The main reason for such a high incidence of epileptic seizures in elderly patients is the number of acute symptomatic (or situation-related) seizures. However, even chronic epilepsies increase in frequency in aging persons. Cerebrovascular disease was the most frequently recognized origin (53.9% of the patients with confirmed epilepsies) and brain tumor was found in 32.9% of the patients.

Newly Diagnosed Unprovoked Epileptic Seizures: Presentation at Diagnosis in CAROLE Study

“…The age distribution at the time of the first unprovoked seizure is clearly different from that observed in incidence studies (21). In France, elderly patients tend to go to general practitioners and geriatricians, as found in the Gironde study (22). With general practitioners as informants, 24% of the patients with definite seizures in the NGPSE were older than 60 years (10,18) versus 9% in this study.…”

Seizures following cardiac surgery: the impact of tranexamic acid and other risk factors

“…1,2 Traditionally, the causes of seizures in elderly patients include acute stroke (50%), metabolic encephalopathy (6-30%), and various drug side effects, infection, and trauma (5-20%). 3,4 The incidence of seizures after cardiac surgery is not well studied.…”

Post-Stroke Epilepsy within a Teaching Hospital in Cotonou, Benin

“…Indeed, epilepsy is one of the most common stroke comorbidities [3]. Stroke accounts for 11% of adult symptomatic epilepsies [4], and beyond the age of 60, it is the leading cause of epilepsy (33%) ahead of degenerative diseases including Alzheimer's disease (15%), brain tumors (5%) or brain trauma injury (1% to 2%) [5]. The following stroke varies from 5% to 20% with an average of 10% [6], however, only few patients will actually develop real vascular epilepsy estimated at 2 to 4% [7].…”