Ischaemic stroke in adults and epilepsy

Abstract

Stroke is an important cause of symptomatic epilepsy especially in the elderly. Seizures in the setting of stroke will furthermore worsen the prognosis of stroke. Studies show that the frequency of seizures in stroke ranges between 2.3% and 14%. Typically early seizures are defined as those that occur within 14 days of the stroke, and later seizures those that occur after this period. A number of risk factors have been identified like cortical involvement, size of the infarct and stroke severity. Status epilepticus can be a presenting symptom of acute stroke and can lead to increased mortality. Early seizures are risks for recurrent seizures though not for the development of epilepsy but late seizures do carry a higher risk. There are no clear cut guidelines for the treatment of seizures in stroke and hence treatment needs to be initiated in the context of the patient. The presence of co morbid conditions and the use of other drugs also complicate antiepileptic therapy, and the risk of drug interactions is a particular hazard in elderly patients on multiple co medication. Although hemorrhagic and ischaemic stroke can both result in epilepsy, this review focuses primarily the association of epilepsy and ischaemic stroke.