title: Seizures in the elderly: impact on mental status, mood, and sleep.
abstract: Comorbidities of epilepsy have not been well explored in the elderly. Herein, we examined mental status, mood, and sleep in elderly patients with epilepsy, compared with age- and gender-matched community controls without epilepsy from the Einstein Aging Study. Testing included a mental status test, the Blessed Information Memory and Concentration (BIMC) test; Prime-MD Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) Depression and Anxiety Modules; and Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale. Persons with epilepsy (n=31) had higher mean BIMC scores than controls (n=31, BIMC 6.3 vs.1.2, P<0.0001). Mean PHQ Depression scores were higher for cases than controls, indicating more depressive symptoms (4.2 vs 0.8, P=0.006); six cases (18%) and no controls met screening criteria for depression. Mean PHQ Anxiety scores were also higher for cases than controls (3.7 vs 0.0, P=0.001). Cases had poorer sleep scores in the categories of somnolence (P=0.009) and shortness of breath/headache (P=0.021). Thus, comorbidities of epilepsy in this elderly population included decreased mental status, a higher prevalence of depression and anxiety, and poorer sleep health when compared with agemates without epilepsy. Mental status impairment was not related to antiepileptic medication or mood disturbance. Further investigation will explore these associations prospectively.
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Epilepsy Management Center, Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY 10467-2490, USA. haut@aecom.yu.edu
authors.forename: Sheryl R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Haut
authors.forename: Mindy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Masur
authors.forename: Richard B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Lipton
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology*; D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012640:Seizures / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants