title: Epilepsy in the elderly.
abstract: With the ageing of the Brazilian population a growing number of elderly people will be seeking attention from our health system. Epilepsy is an increasingly prevalent problem in old age, which demands the awareness of our doctors to the special features of such late onset cases. Partial seizures, which are usually secondary to stroke or brain tumours, are the most frequent in old age, although subsequent generalisation often occurs. The use of EEG and imaging methods might be helpful for the diagnosis of epilepsy as well as for the clarification of the aetiological factors. It has been suggested that carbamazepine and sodium valproate are the safest drugs for the treatment of these patients.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, Section of Old Age Psichiatry, Denmark Hill, London, U.K.
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Förstl
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors