Causes of Epilepsy in Elderly Patients Presenting in a Tertiary Care Hospital of Karachi

Abstract

Background: Epilepsy is fairly a frequent occurrence in the elderly. It is commonly diagnosed after the episode of two or more unprovoked seizures. Unprovoked seizures in elderly are recurrent rather than younger individuals. This study was designed to estimate the concrete burden of frequent causes of epilepsy. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study with a total of 153 patients diagnosed case of epilepsy were included in this study at Jinnah Medical College Hospital from February 2018-August 2018. Mean was calculated for age, duration of disease of the patients. Causes of epilepsy, gender, and education was calculated and presented as percentages. Electrolyte readings were taken i.e., Sodium, Calcium and Magnesium levels and imaging was planned to rule out stroke, primary neurodegenerative disorders and tumors. Post stratification Chi square test was applied and p-value less than or equal to 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The mean age of the patients was 63.91±5.68 years and mean duration of the disease was 4.61± 1.07 months. The common causes of epilepsy were found to be cerebrovascular disease 56.9%, cryptogenic 54.2%, neurodegenerative disorder 20.3%, traumatic head injury 11.8%, metabolic abnormalities or electrolyte disturbances 10.5% and brain tumor 7.8%. Conclusion: Elderly patients with first seizure should present to a facility designed in a way that neurologist, cardiologist, rehabilitation and geriatrics work together to identify and treat the condition in a better way. Keywords: Epilepsy; Seizures; Cerebrovascular Disease; Neurodegenerative Disorder.