Why would somebody start to get epilepsy as they get older?
It's a phenomenon that often occurs along with other things that happen as you get older. "It is sort of a side-effect of many things that we are more likely to get as we age," says Sirven. For example, stroke is one of the biggest causes of seizures in older adults. Twelve percent of patients with dementia of any type will have seizures, and dementia is very common in older adults. Also, tumors and trauma can cause seizures.
Experts don't know what it is about the aging brain that lets this happen, but clearly there is something that occurs that makes epilepsy a stronger likelihood.
Are more seniors getting epilepsy?
They may be. There are more cases of epilepsy in the elderly population, but experts don't know if it's truly an increasing number of cases or if it's just that doctors are now looking for it and are able to better detect it. "It could very well be that we just recently opened up our eyes," says Sirven, "and we finally now see that epilepsy is affecting more adults that previously thought."
Does epilepsy often go unnoticed in the elderly?
“I don't know if it's disregarded, but it's just not appreciated in the sense that a seizure in older adults looks so much like so many other things,” says Sirven. People don't think of it as one of the possibilities.
What are the symptoms that indicate that someone is experiencing a seizure?
If someone is having repeated episodes of loss of consciousness, dizziness, language or behavioral change then they should really be considering the possibility that they are experiencing epilepsy.
