title: Comorbid epilepsy in Finnish patients with adult-onset Huntington's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Seizures are common in juvenile Huntington's disease (HD), but considered to be rare in adult-onset HD. We studied the occurrence of epilepsy and seizures in a nationwide cohort of Finnish patients with adult-onset HD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with HD and their diagnoses of epilepsy or seizures were identified by a search into a nationwide registry. Cases were verified in a subsequent review of patient charts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three out of 114 HD patients alive on prevalence date had been diagnosed with epilepsy giving a prevalence of 2.6% (95% CI, 0.6-7.5). In addition, one patient with a single unprovoked seizure, one patient with a medication-induced seizure and two patients with transient nonspecific attacks were identified. Epilepsy was not associated with clinical severity of HD and seizures were controlled with antiepileptic medications (AEDs). Generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCs) were the most common seizure type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Prevalence of epilepsy is similar in patients with adult-onset HD compared to general population. Seizures are easily controlled with AEDs.
authors: Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital, POB 52, FI-20521, Turku, Finland. jussi.sipila@utu.fi.|Neurology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. jussi.sipila@utu.fi.
authors: Jussi O T
authors: JO
authors: Sipilä
authors: Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Turku University Hospital, POB 52, FI-20521, Turku, Finland. merja.soilu-hanninen@tyks.fi.|Neurology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. merja.soilu-hanninen@tyks.fi.
authors: Merja
authors: M
authors: Soilu-Hänninen
authors: Unit of Clinical Neuroscience, Neurology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. kari.majamaa@oulu.fi.|Department of Neurology and Medical Research Center, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland. kari.majamaa@oulu.fi.
authors: Kari
authors: K
authors: Majamaa
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants