title: Mortality predictors of epilepsy and epileptic seizures among hospitalized elderly.
abstract: Epilepsy and epileptic seizures are common brain disorders in the elderly and are associated with increased mortality that may be ascribed to the underlying disease or epilepsy-related causes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To describe mortality predictors of epilepsy and epileptic seizures in elderly inpatients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis was performed on hospitalized elderly who had epilepsy or epileptic seizures, from January 2009 to December 2010. One hundred and twenty patients were enrolled.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most common etiology was ischemic stroke (37%), followed by neoplasias (13%), hemorrhagic stroke (12%), dementias (11.4%) and metabolic disturbances (5.5%). In a univariate analysis, disease duration (p = 0.04), status epilepticus (p < 0.001) and metabolic etiology (p = 0.005) were associated with mortality. However after adjustment by logistic regression, only status epilepticus remained an independent predictor of death (odds ratio = 13; 95%CI = 2.3 to 72; p = 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study status epilepticus was an independent risk factor for death during hospitalization.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Telma M R
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Assis
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Aroldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bacellar
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Hospital São Rafael, Salvador, BA, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gersonita
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Neurologia, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brasil.
authors.forename: Osvaldo J M
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Nascimento
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D017052:Hospital Mortality; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications / Q000401:mortality