title: [Late onset of epilepsy].
abstract: Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic neurological conditions. The prevalence of epilepsy is estimated at 0.5-5% of population. The etiology of seizures is in a great extent age-related. It is multifactorial in any given individual and is a result of a combination of acquired and genetic factors. The epidemiological studies indicate an increasing number of patients who suffer from active epilepsy with the first epileptic fit in the elderly. In that age range epilepsy, after stroke and dementia, is the third most frequent disease of nervous system. The most frequent causes of the late-onset epilepsy, especially in the elderly, seem to be: cerebrovascular disease, head trauma and alcoholism. On the basis of literature the authors present the epidemiology, clinical and electroencephalographical features and treatment of different kinds of epilepsy: vascular, posttraumatic and related to alcohol abuse.
authors.affiliation: Katedry i Kliniki Neurologii w Zabrzu Slaskiej Akademii Medycznej w Katowicach.
authors.forename: Krystyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pierzchała
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Machowska-Majchrzak
mesh_terms: D017668:Age of Onset; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000150:complications; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D012640:Seizures / Q000209:etiology