In this article, we summarize an October 2018 review by I.E. Leppik that was published in the journal Epilepsia titled, “Status epilepticus in the elderly.”
Purpose
Status epilepticus (SE) is a medical emergency that can affect people of all ages. However, people 60 years or more of age and children have a higher incidence of SE.
SE can be defined as a seizure that lasts longer than 5 minutes or when seizures occur close together without recovery between them.
There is a lack of information about SE in the elderly. Hence, in this review, Leppik outlines the incidence (how often), diagnosis, and treatment of SE in older adults.
Background
The elderly can have convulsive as well as non-convulsive SE. This review focused on convulsive SE because there is more information about this type of SE.
Among people age 60 and older, the incidence of SE was found to increase with an increase in age.
Studies have revealed the most common causes of SE in the elderly are stroke and traumatic brain injury. Additional causes of SE in this population are cancer and infection.
Treatment of SE in the Elderly
Given that SE is a medical emergency, treatment is urgently given to address symptoms at hand.
The mission of the Epilepsy Foundation is to lead the fight to overcome the challenges of living with epilepsy and to accelerate therapies to stop seizures, find cures, and save lives.