Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Jul;55(7):782-8.
doi: 10.1007/s00108-014-3467-0.

[Epilepsy in the elderly. Special clinical features and treatment strategies]

[Article in German]
C Tilz  1
Affiliations
Review

[Epilepsy in the elderly. Special clinical features and treatment strategies]

[Article in German]
C Tilz. Internist (Berl). 2014 Jul.

Abstract

Background: With increasing life expectancy, the incidence rate of epilepsy in the elderly has considerably increased in recent decades. This leads to new diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Objectives: Recognition of the special clinical features of epilepsy in the elderly is essential for diagnosis, therapy and prognosis. Special consideration is placed on comorbidity and drug interactions.

Methods: The literature and new developments in this field are reviewed and discussed.

Results: Epilepsy often presents in patients older than 60 years for the first time. The etiology of epilepsy in the elderly is heterogeneous with most belonging to symptomatic epilepsies that are associated with an underlying structural lesion of the brain. Epilepsy in the elderly is distinguished from that in other age groups by its clinical presentation. The treatment of seizures in the elderly is a particular challenge because not only due to comorbidity and co-medication but also because of metabolic changes in this age group.

Conclusion: Epilepsy in the elderly has diagnostic and therapeutic features that require careful clinical assessment and differentiated therapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Health Technol Assess. 2007 Oct;11(37):iii-iv, ix-x, 1-134 - PubMed
    1. Epilepsy Res. 2006 Oct;71(2-3):206-15 - PubMed
    1. Encephale. 2011 Apr;37(2):153-8 - PubMed
    1. Acta Neurol Scand. 2014 May;129(5):283-93 - PubMed
    1. Clin Neurol Neurosurg. 2009 Jan;111(1):1-9 - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources