Abstract
Objective. To establish the prevalence of epilepsy among the general population aged 55 years and older. Design. Cross-sectional study. Setting. The Ommoord district of Rotterdam. Method. The screening for epilepsy was carried out as a part of the Rotterdam Study, starting June 1991. With a view to stable prevalence estimates, persons aged 95 years and older were left out of consideration. Out of the 7081 persons to be considered, 5559 (79%) participated. Screening was performed using direct questions about epilepsy and drug use, and the relevant questions from the WHO protocol for detection of neurological diseases. The diagnoses were verified and confirmed by one research physician and four epileptologists. Epilepsy was classified according to the system of the International League Against Epilepsy. Results. The prevalence of active epilepsy was 0.9% when 'special syndromes' were included and 0.8% when they were not. Prevalence increased with increasing age in males as well as in females. Conclusion. Prevalence of active epilepsy in the elderly increased with advancing age. The prevalence figures found were high compared with data published in the literature.
| Translated title of the contribution | Prevalence of epilepsy among the elderly; the Rotterdam study |
|---|---|
| Original language | Dutch |
| Pages (from-to) | 308-311 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde |
| Volume | 140 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Publication status | Published - 10 Feb 1996 |