Place Your Advertisement Here
 
UPDATED: Sun, 11/11/2007 - 2:50pm

  • Epilepsy First Aid
  • Seizure Medication
  • Animation of a Seizure
  • Seizure Diary
  • Find a Doctor
  • Epilepsy Centers
  • Clinical Trials
  • Event Calendar

Place Your Advertisement Here

VNS Surgery

If you (or your loved one) have had a vagus nerve stimulator implanted, what happened after it?

no more seizures
5% (11 votes)
helped control seizures a lot
34% (76 votes)
helped a little bit
35% (78 votes)
didn’t help at all
17% (37 votes)
worse off
10% (22 votes)
Total votes: 224

View results
View past poll results

Seniors With Epilepsy

Epilepsy spares no age group. Although epilepsy is often considered a disorder of childhood, it can begin at any age, and in some people it persists from childhood to old age. The rate of newly diagnosed epilepsy is actually higher in elderly people than in middle-aged adults. As in younger people, the cause of epilepsy that begins in an elderly person cannot be determined in about half of the cases. Of those in whom the cause can be determined, the largest number of cases (about 33%) are caused by stroke, often a small one that did not cause other symptoms. Degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease cause about 11%, tumors (either benign or malignant) lead to about 5%, head injury causes about 2%, and infection gives rise to 1%. Although alcohol abuse is not considered a major cause of epilepsy in the United States, a study in Denmark found that it was very often associated with newly diagnosed epilepsy in adults.

The elderly are more sensitive than younger people to a variety of mental, physical, and environmental stressors. They are also more likely to develop many medical, neurological, and psychiatric disorders, some of which can make seizures more likely to occur. Such disorders include metabolic changes such as very high or very low blood sugar, very low sodium levels, and endocrine disorders (for example, diabetes, thyroid or parathyroid disorders).

Topic Editor:Steven C. Schachter, M.D.
Last Reviewed:12/15/06



This content is user-generated. Content is not monitored nor consistently reviewed by the epilepsy.com Editorial Board. Epilepsy.com therefore cannot guarantee the accuracy of any content edited with the Wiki sections. While epilepsy.com, the Epilepsy Therapy Project, and its partners encourage visitor interaction and publishing within these sections, users should use caution when exploring content, especially as it pertains to health concerns. No content on epilepsy.com is intended to replace the care of a doctor. We encourage you to contact your own health care provider for individual medical advice. We cannot provide second opinions or make specific recommendations regarding therapy, nor does this Wiki content constitute a recommendation for any diagnosis or treatment options.

Epilepsy spares no age group. Although epilepsy is often considered a disorder of childhood, it can begin at any age, and in some people it persists from childhood to old age. The rate of newly diagnosed epilepsy is actually higher in elderly people than in middle-aged adults. As in younger people, the cause of epilepsy that begins in an elderly person cannot be determined in about half of the cases. Of those in whom the cause can be determined, the largest number of cases (about 33%) are caused by stroke, often a small one that did not cause other symptoms. Degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease cause about 11%, tumors (either benign or malignant) lead to about 5%, head injury causes about 2%, and infection gives rise to 1%. Although alcohol abuse is not considered a major cause of epilepsy in the United States, a study in Denmark found that it was very often associated with newly diagnosed epilepsy in adults.

The elderly are more sensitive than younger people to a variety of mental, physical, and environmental stressors. They are also more likely to develop many medical, neurological, and psychiatric disorders, some of which can make seizures more likely to occur. Such disorders include metabolic changes such as very high or very low blood sugar, very low sodium levels, and endocrine disorders (for example, diabetes, thyroid or parathyroid disorders).


Information For Seniors

Drug Interaction Concerns

There are special concerns about drug interactions and side effects of epilepsy medications for seniors.

Common Side Effects





Title Posted
A seizure while driving  
Melonie
New to the forum, son with seizure disorder.  
BadgerMom
New to site and living with Epilepsy  
asking79
Lamictal  
mommyof2
new and a bit frustrated  
Jill77
Keppra and Alcohol  
jppkt
Sex drive and seizure medications  
dfriedman
life  
kevinmo99
son newly diagnosed with Absence Seizures  
shu
Controlling absence seizures  
shu
View all Forums

Title Page Views
Over 40 Different Types Of Seizures.......  
spiz
my.epilepsy.com Updates  
epi_help
topamax and weight loss  
alexia mom
kepra  
brian mattingly
Possible cure for absence seizures  
pdl1
Epilepsy and marijuana  
cjad234
Sexual Side Effects  
George R
How exactly do aura's feel  
WendyBendy
MEDICAL ALERT I.D.'s  
picnupthepcs
Over 40 Different Types Of Seizures - Part 2  
spiz
View all Forums

Title Posted
Ms.  
sueanne
shilpa  
shilpa
First seizure at age 25  
suziereno
its hared but then i found this  
dan2work
Nobody Understands  
tmpino76
Depakote and Children  
twin12
what goes around comes around  
kelly28
Shari Story  
sharebear03
susu  
susu
Ayden's Story  
aydensvoice
View all Stories

Place Your Advertisement Here