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Memory disorders, speech disorders and brief periods of absence or changes in behavior can indicate previously unrecognized epilepsy in seniors. Many of these possible complaints can also occur as a result of other diseases or drug side effects and are therefore often not recognized as an expression of epilepsy.
“In old age, depending on the brain region involved and the extent of the nervous overexcitation, an epileptic attack can cause different symptoms.
These can be short-term clouding of :
These can be short-term clouding of :
Consciousness such as staring
A speech blockage
A temporary loss of memory or confusion.
Compared to younger affected people, so-called “grand mal seizures”, which are associated with loss of consciousness, cramps and twitching, occur less frequently in the elderly, ”reports Dr. Frank Bergmann from the Professional Association of German Neurologists (BVDN) based in Krefeld.
“Other symptoms can also include temporary paralysis or abnormal sensations, as well as unspecific signs such as headache and muscle pain. The affected seniors themselves are often not even aware of the short failures, as long as they don't fall down and injure themselves. ”Epileptic seizures pose a particularly high risk of injury, especially for older people. Due to the lower bone density in old age, a fall can lead to fractures more quickly. Also the risk of bleeding in the brain (e.g. from a Traumatic brain injury ) after falls, increases with age.
Have late-stage epilepsy fully medically investigated
Have late-stage epilepsy fully medically investigated
In old age there are many different causes that can lead to an epileptic seizure. The occurrence of late epilepsy usually has to be fully diagnosed. For example, other causes of temporary brain dysfunction, in particular short-term cerebral circulation disorders, causes of dizziness, migraines or drug side effects must be excluded. “In about half of the cases in the elderly, circulatory disorders of the brain or previous strokes are the causes of epilepsy. Between 3 and 10 percent of stroke patients develop this disease after a stroke because scars and sometimes also blood breakdown products remain in the brain, ”adds Dr. Miner. In addition, dementia disorders such as Alzheimer's disease can also cause epilepsy.
Epilepsy can also be treated well in old age
Epilepsy can also be treated well in old age
Epilepsies in the elderly are - after taking age-related characteristics into account - particularly well treatable nowadays with modern anti-epileptic drugs. However, therapy is a little more complicated in older people than in younger years. “If medication is necessary, the dosage must usually be adjusted slowly, taking additional diseases and other necessary preparations and their possible interactions into account. As a rule, the dosage of the respective medication is much lower in old age than in younger patients due to the changed metabolism, ”adds the neurologist. The regular intake of anti-epileptic drugs is particularly important for successful therapy.
Epilepsy is most common in old age - old age epilepsy is the third most common disease of the nervous system in old age, after dementia and stroke. There are a total of around 500,000 epilepsy patients in Germany and around 10,000 new people fall ill every year, with older people being affected more often than children.
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