The psychosocial impact of epilepsy in older people

Abstract

Given a prevalence of 0.5–1%, the epilepsies belong to the most common of neuropsychiatric diseases. Many clinicians think of the epilepsies as an entity beginning in early in life. However, the peak incidence of epilepsy in the developed world is now in the age group beyond 60 years. This population has thus an increasing importance; and in this paper we review and summarize the specific aspects of the clinical presentation, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of older-age patients with epilepsy. In particular, we focus on the specific psychosocial impact that epilepsy has on the life of older people and their carers.