TY - JOUR
T1 - Epilepsy in the elderly
T2 - Unique challenges in an increasingly prevalent population
AU - Lezaic, Nastasija
AU - Roussy, Josée
AU - Masson, Hélène
AU - Jetté, Nathalie
AU - Keezer, Mark Robert
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2020/1
Y1 - 2020/1
N2 - Elderly individuals (aged at least 60 or 65 years) represent a rapidly growing segment of the population. The incidence and prevalence of epilepsy is higher in this age group than in any other. Diagnosing epilepsy in the elderly can be challenging because the causes and clinical manifestations of seizures often differ as compared with younger individuals. Particular differential diagnoses, such as syncope and amyloid spells, are commonly encountered in the elderly population. A diagnosis of epilepsy has important implications in the older adult, many of which already present a variety of concomitant complex medical problems, such as cognitive impairment, comorbid cerebrovascular disease, and frailty. The treatment of epilepsy in the elderly is complicated by a variety of factors related to aging, including physiological changes, medical comorbidities, and polypharmacy. In this narrative review, we will address the descriptive epidemiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and prognosis of epilepsy in the elderly individual.
AB - Elderly individuals (aged at least 60 or 65 years) represent a rapidly growing segment of the population. The incidence and prevalence of epilepsy is higher in this age group than in any other. Diagnosing epilepsy in the elderly can be challenging because the causes and clinical manifestations of seizures often differ as compared with younger individuals. Particular differential diagnoses, such as syncope and amyloid spells, are commonly encountered in the elderly population. A diagnosis of epilepsy has important implications in the older adult, many of which already present a variety of concomitant complex medical problems, such as cognitive impairment, comorbid cerebrovascular disease, and frailty. The treatment of epilepsy in the elderly is complicated by a variety of factors related to aging, including physiological changes, medical comorbidities, and polypharmacy. In this narrative review, we will address the descriptive epidemiology, clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, diagnostic evaluation, treatment, and prognosis of epilepsy in the elderly individual.
KW - Aged
KW - Antiepileptic
KW - Dementia
KW - Frailty
KW - Seizures
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85076109208&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106724
DO - 10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.106724
M3 - Review article
C2 - 31816480
AN - SCOPUS:85076109208
SN - 1525-5050
VL - 102
JO - Epilepsy and Behavior
JF - Epilepsy and Behavior
M1 - 106724
ER -