Activities of daily living are associated with outcomes of epilepsy treatment in elderly patients.

ABSTRACT

AIM: Controlling epileptic seizures in elderly populations is widely considered to be relatively easy, but we hypothesized that the lifestyles of elderly individuals may affect the outcomes of epilepsy treatment. The purpose of this study was to review the activities of daily living (ADL) of elderly individuals with epilepsy and compare them with the outcomes of epilepsy treatment. METHODS: Of the 177 patients ≥65 years old who were referred to our epilepsy centre, epilepsy was diagnosed in 84. ADL and treatment outcomes were then reviewed, with ADL classified into three levels ADL I, without disability; ADL II, disabled only in some instrumental ADL; and ADL III, disabled in some basic ADL. Epilepsy syndromes and use of anti-seizure drugs were also evaluated. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (53.6%) achieved freedom from seizures, 23 (27.4%) achieved ≥80% but <100% reduction in seizures, 5 (6%) achieved ≥50% but <80% reduction in seizures, and 11 (13.1%) achieved <50% reduction in seizures. Thirty-five patients (81.4%) with ADL I achieved freedom from seizures, compared with seven patients with ADL II (28.0%) and three patients with ADL III (19.0%). A significant difference was evident among the three groups (F = 6.145, P = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: ADL should be taken into account when an epilepsy treatment is being selected.