Brief multidimensional measure of spirituality/religiousness, self-esteem, quality of life, and epilepsy.

INTRODUCTION: The relationships between religiousness/spirituality (RS), self-esteem, and quality of life (QoL) in adult people with epilepsy (PWEs) have not been studied in detail. METHODS: This cross-sectional study assessed RS using the brief multidimensional measure of religiousness/spirituality (BMMRS) scores of 86 PWEs. These scores were compared to 58 individuals in the control group (CG). Among the PWEs, the BMMRS data were related with the QOLIE-31 and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) scores and clinical variables. RESULTS: Among the PWEs, 48 individuals had temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) and other epilepsies in 38 cases. Higher "daily spiritual experiences," "overall self-ranking as a religious/spiritual person," and lower perception of "religious/spiritual coping" were observed in the TLE-HS group when compared to the CG. Among the PWEs, there was lower "religious/spiritual coping" and higher "overall self-ranking as a religious/spiritual person" in the TLE-HS group. There was a significant difference in the BMMRS dimensions according to the type and frequency of seizures and the number of antiseizure drugs taken. There was a low correlation between the BMMRS, the QOLIE-31, and the RSES. In the network analysis with the Fruchterman-Reingold algorithm, there was no correlation between self-esteem and RS. In the TLE-HS group, there was a correlation between the "forgiveness" dimension of the BMMRS and some dimensions of the QOLIE-31. CONCLUSION: There was a greater RS in the TLE-HS group when compared to the CG. Regarding the two epilepsy groups, there was a higher "overall self-ranking as a religious/spiritual person" and lower "religious/spiritual coping" in the TLE-HS. The clinical variables and demographic data are related to different BMMRS dimensions according to the type of epilepsy. In the TLE-HS group, a higher RS is related to a better QoL. RS is not related to self-esteem.

Older adults with epilepsy: memory complaints and objective neuropsychological performance.

INTRODUCTION: People with epilepsy frequently complain of poor memory. OBJECTIVE: To assess the occurrence of memory complaints in older adults with epilepsy (OAE) and whether it is associated with clinical variables, objective cognitive performance, and quality of life (QoL). METHODS: The Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q) was related to objective cognitive performance, the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E), the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31), and the clinical characteristics of 83 OAE. RESULTS: OAE showed worse cognitive performance and higher MAC-Q scores when compared to a similar control group (n=40). Impairment in multiple cognitive domains occurred in 34 (41%) OAE and was associated with older age and lower educational level. Memory complaints (MAC-Q≥25) were reported by 45 (54.2%) OAE and associated with older age, lower educational level, onset at ≥60 years, higher NDDI-E scores, lower QOLIE-31 scores, and impairment in multiple cognitive domains. CONCLUSIONS: OAE presented worse cognitive performance and greater memory complaints. Episode onset at ≥60 years of age was associated with complaints, but not with objective cognitive deficit. We found an association between subjective and objective cognitive performance, with aspects of epilepsy and worse QoL scores.

Older adults with epilepsy: memory complaints and objective neuropsychological performance / Idosos com epilepsia: queixa de memória e desempenho neuropsicológico objetivo

ABSTRACT Introduction: People with epilepsy frequently complain of poor memory. Objective: To assess the occurrence of memory complaints in older adults with epilepsy (OAE) and whether it is associated with clinical variables, objective cognitive performance, and quality of life (QoL). Methods: The Memory Complaint Questionnaire (MAC-Q) was related to objective cognitive performance, the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E), the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31), and the clinical characteristics of 83 OAE. Results: OAE showed worse cognitive performance and higher MAC-Q scores when compared to a similar control group (n=40). Impairment in multiple cognitive domains occurred in 34 (41%) OAE and was associated with older age and lower educational level. Memory complaints (MAC-Q≥25) were reported by 45 (54.2%) OAE and associated with older age, lower educational level, onset at ≥60 years, higher NDDI-E scores, lower QOLIE-31 scores, and impairment in multiple cognitive domains. Conclusions: OAE presented worse cognitive performance and greater memory complaints. Episode onset at ≥60 years of age was associated with complaints, but not with objective cognitive deficit. We found an association between subjective and objective cognitive performance, with aspects of epilepsy and worse QoL scores.

RESUMO Introdução: A queixa de memória fraca é frequente em pessoas com epilepsia. Objetivo: Avaliar a ocorrência de queixas de memória em idosos com epilepsia (IE) e se há associação com variáveis clínicas, desempenho cognitivo objetivo e qualidade de vida (QV). Métodos: O questionário de queixa de memória (memory complaint questionnaire — MAC-Q) foi relacionado ao desempenho cognitivo objetivo, o inventário de depressão de transtornos neurológicos para epilepsia (neurological disorders depression inventory for epilepsy — NDDI-E), o QOLIE-31 e com as características clínicas de 83 IE. Resultados: Houve desempenho cognitivo inferior e maiores escores no MAC-Q em IE quando comparados aos de um grupo controle similar (n=40). Comprometimento de múltiplos domínios cognitivos ocorreu em 34 (41%) IE e associou-se a maior idade e menor escolaridade. Queixas de memória (MAC-Q≥25) foram observadas em 45 (54,2%) IE e associadas a idade mais elevada, menor escolaridade, início das crises aos ≥60 anos, maiores escores no NDDI-E, menores escores no QOLIE-31 e comprometimento de múltiplos domínios cognitivos. Conclusões: Pior desempenho cognitivo e maiores queixa de memória ocorreram em IE. Crises com início aos ≥60 anos foram associadas a queixas, mas não a déficit objetivo cognitivo. Houve associação entre desempenho cognitivo subjetivo e objetivo, com aspectos da epilepsia e pior QV.

Epilepsy characteristics and cognitive, social, and mood functions in relation to intrinsic religiosity.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to relate the Intrinsic Religiosity Inventory (IRI) with clinical epilepsy variables, the occurrence of depressive symptoms, and the quality of life (QoL) of 169 adult people with epilepsy (PWEs). Data were compared with those of a similar control group (CG) without psychiatric disorders, with p < 0.05. RESULTS: A higher intrinsic religiosity (IR) was observed in PWEs when compared with the CG. Impairment in multiple cognitive domains was found in 41 (24.2%) cases, and a score >15 in the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy was observed in 44 (26%) cases. In PWE, a greater IR was associated with the use of more than one antiepileptic drug (AED), epileptiform activity (EA) in the left hemisphere, temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS), and the absence of depressive disorders. An early age of onset and the social functioning dimension of the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) were the predictive factors for a higher IR in the linear multivariate regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The IR was significantly higher in PWE. A higher IR was related to TLE-HS, EA in the left hemisphere, later onset of epilepsy, a better performance in the semantic verbal fluency (SVF) test, and the absence of depressive disorders, suggesting a complex neurophysiological relationship involving multiple factors.

Cognition and epilepsy: Cognitive screening test.

Cognitive deficits often occur in people with epilepsy (PWE). However, in Brazil, PWE might not undergo neurocognitive evaluation due to the low number of validated tests available and lack of multidisciplinary teams in general epilepsy outpatient clinics. OBJECTIVE: To correlate Brief Cognitive Battery-Edu (BCB-Edu) scores with epilepsy characteristics of 371 PWE. METHODS: Clinical and cognitive assessment (MMSE, BCB-Edu) of 371 PWE aged >18 years was performed. The clinical aspects of epilepsy were correlated with BCB-Edu data. Cognitive data of PWE were compared against those of 95 healthy individuals (NC), with p-<0.05. RESULTS: People with epilepsy had lower cognitive performance than individuals in the NC group. Cognitive aspects also differed according to epilepsy characteristics. Predictive factors for impairment in multiple cognitive domains were age and use of more than one antiepileptic drug (logistic regression; R2 Nagelkerke=0.135). CONCLUSION: Worse cognitive performance was found in PWE on different domains. There was a relationship between cognitive impairment and the aspects of epilepsy. BCB-Edu proved to be effective as a cognitive assessment screening test for epilepsy in adults.

É frequente a ocorrência de déficits cognitivos em pessoas com epilepsia (PWE). Entretanto, no Brasil, as PWE podem ficar sem avaliação neurocognitiva pelo reduzido número de testes disponíveis e validados para nossa cultura e pela ausência de equipes multidisciplinares em ambulatórios gerais de epilepsia. OBJETIVO: Relacionar os escores do Brief Cognitive Battery-Edu (BCB-Edu) aos aspectos da epilepsia de 371 PWE. MÉTODOS: Foi feita avaliação clínica e cognitiva (MMSE, BCB-Edu) de 371 PWE com idade > 18 anos. Foram relacionados os aspectos da epilepsia com os dados do BCB-Edu. Os dados cognitivos foram comparados aos de 95 indivíduos normais (NC), com p<0.05. RESULTADOS: PWE apresentam desempenho cognitivo inferior ao do grupo NC. Os aspectos cognitivos foram distintos, segundo aspectos da epilepsia. Na regressão logística, os fatores preditivos para comprometimento em múltiplos domínios cognitivos foram a idade e a utilização de mais de uma droga antiepiléptica (R2 Nagelkerke=0.135). CONCLUSÃO: Houve, nas PWE, pior desempenho cognitivo em diferentes domínios. Houve relação entre déficit cognitivo com aspectos da epilepsia. O BCB-Edu mostrou-se eficaz como teste de triagem cognitiva na epilepsia em adultos.

Cognition and epilepsy: Cognitive screening test / Cognição e epilepsia: teste de triagem cognitiva

ABSTRACT. Cognitive deficits often occur in people with epilepsy (PWE). However, in Brazil, PWE might not undergo neurocognitive evaluation due to the low number of validated tests available and lack of multidisciplinary teams in general epilepsy outpatient clinics. Objective: To correlate Brief Cognitive Battery-Edu (BCB-Edu) scores with epilepsy characteristics of 371 PWE. Methods: Clinical and cognitive assessment (MMSE, BCB-Edu) of 371 PWE aged >18 years was performed. The clinical aspects of epilepsy were correlated with BCB-Edu data. Cognitive data of PWE were compared against those of 95 healthy individuals (NC), with p-<0.05. Results: People with epilepsy had lower cognitive performance than individuals in the NC group. Cognitive aspects also differed according to epilepsy characteristics. Predictive factors for impairment in multiple cognitive domains were age and use of more than one antiepileptic drug (logistic regression; R2 Nagelkerke=0.135). Conclusion: Worse cognitive performance was found in PWE on different domains. There was a relationship between cognitive impairment and the aspects of epilepsy. BCB-Edu proved to be effective as a cognitive assessment screening test for epilepsy in adults.

RESUMO. É frequente a ocorrência de déficits cognitivos em pessoas com epilepsia (PWE). Entretanto, no Brasil, as PWE podem ficar sem avaliação neurocognitiva pelo reduzido número de testes disponíveis e validados para nossa cultura e pela ausência de equipes multidisciplinares em ambulatórios gerais de epilepsia. Objetivo: Relacionar os escores do Brief Cognitive Battery-Edu (BCB-Edu) aos aspectos da epilepsia de 371 PWE. Métodos: Foi feita avaliação clínica e cognitiva (MMSE, BCB-Edu) de 371 PWE com idade > 18 anos. Foram relacionados os aspectos da epilepsia com os dados do BCB-Edu. Os dados cognitivos foram comparados aos de 95 indivíduos normais (NC), com p<0.05. Resultados: PWE apresentam desempenho cognitivo inferior ao do grupo NC. Os aspectos cognitivos foram distintos, segundo aspectos da epilepsia. Na regressão logística, os fatores preditivos para comprometimento em múltiplos domínios cognitivos foram a idade e a utilização de mais de uma droga antiepiléptica (R2 Nagelkerke=0.135). Conclusão: Houve, nas PWE, pior desempenho cognitivo em diferentes domínios. Houve relação entre déficit cognitivo com aspectos da epilepsia. O BCB-Edu mostrou-se eficaz como teste de triagem cognitiva na epilepsia em adultos.

Resilience, quality of life, and clinical aspects of patients with epilepsy.

Clinical and psychosocial factors can influence the quality of life (QoL) of patients with epilepsy (PWE). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the Resilience Scale (RS) and the QOLIE-31 (Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory), Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy, and clinical aspects of 137 PWE, at a significance level of p < 0.05. RESULTS: Seizure control, normal EEG (electroencephalographic) background activity, and antiepileptic drug (AED) monotherapy were associated with greater resilience. There was a correlation between resilience and depressive episodes (Pearson correlation: -0.462; p < 0.000) and performance in the MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) (0.221, p = 0.015). Improved QoL was associated with greater resilience, self-sufficiency, equanimity, and perseverance. Greater resilience was significantly related to the absence of depressive symptoms (p = 0.001), normal EEG background activity (p = 0.024), and AED monotherapy (p = 0.049) in the linear regression model. CONCLUSION: Clinical, cognitive, and EEG aspects were related to resilience. Depressive symptoms correlate negatively with resilience. Individuals with greater resilience perceive better QoL.

The relationship between dysphagia and clinical and cognitive aspects in elderly patients presented with dementia

ABSTRACT Objective: to relate the risk of dysphagia and aspects of eating behavior to the cognitive aspects of elderly people with dementia. Methods: 35 elderly patients with Alzheimer or vascular dementia were submitted to clinical and cognitive assessments as well as to a questionnaire for assessing appetite/eating disorder and the Dysphagia Risk Evaluation Protocol (DREP). Appropriate statistical tests were applied adopting a significance level lower than 0.05. Results: mild dementia occurred in 16 cases, moderate, in 14, and severe, in 5. Complaints of choking/coughing in the medical history, and signs of dysphagia in the DREP, occurred in 9 and 25 elderly patients, respectively, with no differences regarding the type and severity of dementia. Patients presented with dysphagia and alterations in the oral and pharyngeal phases of DREP, were older. Alterations in the pharyngeal phase were associated with poorer performance in the Mini-Mental State Examination (total score, attention/calculation, language). Changes in appetite/weight/eating habits were associated with signs of dysphagia, increasing severity of dementia and functional impairment. Conclusion: choking/coughing and signs of dysphagia were high. Changes in appetite/weight/eating habits were related to the severity of dementia and presence of dysphagia, and cognitive disorders and old age were associated with dysphagia.

Epilepsy, stigma, and family.

Epilepsy is surrounded by prejudice and stigma. Little is known about the perception of stigma by cohabiting relatives (CR) of people with epilepsy (PWE). The study investigated whether the Stigma Scale of Epilepsy (SSE) scores of 90 CR and 148 adult PWE were related to the PWE's clinical aspects and QOLIE-31 at a significance level of p<0.05. The SSE scores of the CR were equivalent to those of PWE dyads (ICC=0.385, p=0.001). Cohabiting relatives of PWE with depressive disorder perceived more stigma (t-test: p=0.038). Higher perceived stigma by PWE was significantly related to exclusively generalized seizures (p=0.005), longer disease duration (p=0.002), and higher perception of stigma by CR in the linear regression model. Both PWE and CR have high perception of stigma, which is related to clinical aspects. Higher perceptions of stigma by PWE and CR are associated with worse QoL in PWE.

Physical activity, stigma, and quality of life in patients with epilepsy.

Indication of physical activity (PA) for people with epilepsy (PWE) is debatable. This study investigated whether the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) score is related to the clinical aspects of epilepsy, QOLIE-31, and the Stigma Scale of Epilepsy (SSE) score of 67 PWE at a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). About one-third (32.8%) of the PWE were sedentary/irregularly active. Lower QOLIE-31 scores and higher SSE scores were found in PWE who did not practice PA for fear of seizures and in sedentary/irregularly active PWE. Twenty-three percent of the PWE stopped practicing PA for fear of seizures. The predictive factors in the logistic regression equation for not practicing physical activity for fear of seizures were the presence of depressive disorder (p=0.049) and temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) (p=0.024). Most PWE are sedentary and do not practice PA for fear of seizures. Physical activity is negatively influenced by clinical aspects of epilepsy. Less PA is associated with depressive disorder, worse quality of life, and higher perception of stigma.

Major depressive episode, cognition, and epilepsy.

PURPOSE: In patients with epilepsy (PWE), relationships between depression, epilepsy characteristics, and cognitive aspects are complex. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of possible major depressive episode in PWE and to verify whether it is associated with the clinical aspects of the disease and cognition. METHODS: Two hundred consecutive PWE with a mean age and standard deviation of 47.6 (±15.1) years were included in the study. We determined whether their Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy (NDDI-E) scores were associated with their clinical, cognitive, and QOLIE-31 aspects using a significance level of 5% (p<0.05). RESULTS: Twenty-six patients (13%) had an NDDI-E score >15, suggestive of major depressive episode. Logistic regression showed that NDDI-E >15 was associated with seizure frequency (p=0.022) and worse performance in the category fluency test (p=0.003). An NDDI-E >15 was also correlated with lower quality of life (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that possible major depressive episode is associated not only with epilepsy characteristics but also with cognitive aspects, such as category fluency, and quality of life.

Religiosity aspects in patients with epilepsy.

The objectives of this study were to assess religiosity aspects in patients with epilepsy (PWEs) and controls and to determine whether such aspects were related to the samples' clinical, sociodemographic, and QOL-31 data. The Duke Religion Index was administered to 159 adult PWEs and 50 controls. The relationships between the Duke Religion Index and the study variables of the two groups were compared. Intrinsic religiosity (IR) and nonorganizational religiosity (NOR) were higher in PWEs than in controls. Logistic regression showed that being female (p=0.022) and having mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampus sclerosis (MTLE-HS) (p=0.003) were predictors of high organizational religiosity (OR) and that high NOR was associated with MTLE-HS (p=0.026) and controlled seizures. Further, only MTLE-HS (p=0.002) was predictive of high IR. The Duke Religion Index and QOLIE-31 scores were not related. Different forms of interictal religiosity are related to clinical aspects of epilepsy.

Marital status of patients with epilepsy: factors and quality of life.

PURPOSE: The study investigated how marital status relates to clinical aspects and quality of life (QOL) in patients with epilepsy (PWE). METHOD: The clinical data and Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-31) scores of 252 PWE were regressed against their marital status with a significance level of 5% (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Logistic regression for single and married PWE revealed that singles had more abnormalities in the neurological examination (p = 0.029) and earlier seizure onset (p < 0.001), while for married and divorced PWE revealed the latter more psychiatric comorbidities (p = 0.002) and longer disease duration (p = 0.011). Regarding QOL score, linear regression showed that psychiatric comorbidity was the only factor (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The marital status of PWE is negatively associated with clinical aspects of epilepsy.

Spirituality aspects in patients with epilepsy.

PURPOSE: Do epilepsy and spirituality interact? This study aimed to determine whether an easy-to-administer scale, such as the spirituality self-rating scale (SSRS), could detect increased religiousness in people with epilepsy and verify how epilepsy influences spirituality. METHODS: A total of 196 consecutive patients with epilepsy (epilepsy group, EG) with a mean age and standard deviation of 46.5 ± 14.8 years and 66 subjects with no history of neurological or other chronic disorders (control group, CG) were assessed by the SSRS and neurologically. RESULTS: The SSRS scores of the EG and CG did not differ significantly (22.8 ± 5.1 and 22.0 ± 5.7, respectively). Patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis (MTLE-HS) had significantly higher SSRS scores than those with other epileptic syndromes and, than in individuals of the CG. Multiple regression showed that the factors significantly associated with greater spirituality (greater SSRS score) for the EG, were lower education level, abnormal background EEG activity, and MTLE-HS. Other relationships with the clinical features of epilepsy and with the presence of psychiatric co-morbidity were not found. CONCLUSION: The present findings do not confirm a specific role of epilepsy in spirituality or of "epileptic hyperreligiosity," but suggest that spirituality in people with epilepsy is influenced by education level, and may also stem from epilepsy-related factors such as abnormal background EEG activity and the presence of MTLE-HS.

Spiritual/religious coping in patients with epilepsy: relationship with sociodemographic and clinical aspects and quality of life.

One hundred and ten patients with epilepsy with a mean age of 45.9 were assessed by a clinical-neurological evaluation, Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory-31 (QOLIE-31), and the Spiritual/Religious Coping (SRCOPE) Scale. The objective of this study was to evaluate if patients with epilepsy used positive and/or negative spiritual/religious coping and the relationships between this type of coping and the sociodemographic and clinical aspects of epilepsy and the QOLIE-31. A greater use of positive coping (3.0±0.7) than negative coping (2.3±0.7) was found. The use of the positive factor was greater in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) than in other types of epilepsy. The ratio of negative/positive coping was associated with lower scores in the QOLIE-31 (-0.222; p=0.036). Patients with epilepsy appear to use spiritual/religious coping, especially those with MTLE, and a predominance of negative coping was associated with a reduced quality of life. Future studies should evaluate interventions considering the knowledge of spiritual/religious strategies by the patients.

Neurobehavior inventory: correlation with clinical aspects and quality of life in patients with epilepsy.

Fifty-five adult patients with epilepsy were evaluated, and the Neurobehavior Inventory (NBI) was administered. The relationship between the NBI data and clinical aspects and quality of life (QoL) was studied. The total NBI score was 58 ± 18.2. The domains with the highest scores were "religious conviction", "orderliness", and "sense of personal destiny". There was a significant difference in "hatred and revenge" and "religious conviction" according to the epileptic syndrome. The "physical well-being" score was higher for patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with right hippocampal sclerosis than for left sclerosis (2.77 ± 1.6 × 1.57 ± 0.5, respectively, p = 0.002). The total NBI score was higher in patients with psychiatric comorbidities and with depression according to the Hamilton Depression Scale and was negatively correlated with the "emotional well-being" QOLIE score (-0.398, p = 0.005). The NBI findings showed that behavioral changes can be present in various epilepsies and that there is a complex bidirectional neurobiological relationship between epilepsy and psychiatric comorbidity, sustained by common physiopathological mechanisms.

Epilepsy with onset at over 50 years of age: clinical and electroencephalographic characteristics.

Epilepsy in older individuals has an elevated incidence. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the clinical, EEG and brain imaging aspects in patients showing late-onset epilepsy. Fifty-five patients with late-onset epilepsy (older than 50 years) were evaluated. They were composed of two groups according to the onset age of the epilepsy seizure (ES): 51-60 (G51-60) and over 60 (G60+) years. Focal ES predominated although they were less frequent in G60+. The occurrence of status epilepticus was high and more frequent in G60+ whereas seizures in series predominated in G51-60. Symptomatic epilepsy was more frequent and the vascular etiology predominated. Epileptiform activity was associated with a greater number of ES, and background activity abnormalities were more frequent in G60+. In conclusion, epilepsy with onset at over 50 was predominantly focal and symptomatic, with a high occurrence of status epilepticus and of seizures in series.

Epilepsy with onset at over 50 years of age: clinical and electroencephalographic characteristics / Epilepsia com início após os 50 anos de idade: características clínicas e eletrencefalográficas

Epilepsy in older individuals has an elevated incidence. The objective of the present work was to evaluate the clinical, EEG and brain imaging aspects in patients showing late-onset epilepsy. Fifty-five patients with late-onset epilepsy (older than 50 years) were evaluated. They were composed of two groups according to the onset age of the epilepsy seizure (ES): 51-60 (G51-60) and over 60 (G60+) years. Focal ES predominated although they were less frequent in G60+. The occurrence of status epilepticus was high and more frequent in G60+ whereas seizures in series predominated in G51-60. Symptomatic epilepsy was more frequent and the vascular etiology predominated. Epileptiform activity was associated with a greater number of ES, and background activity abnormalities were more frequent in G60+. In conclusion, epilepsy with onset at over 50 was predominantly focal and symptomatic, with a high occurrence of status epilepticus and of seizures in series.

Epilepsia no idoso tem elevada incidência e peculiaridades pouco estudadas. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi avaliar aspectos clínicos e eletrencefalográficos de pacientes que apresentaram a primeira crise epiléptica (CE) tardiamente. Foram avaliados 55 pacientes com epilepsia tardia (com início após os 50 anos), divididos em dois grupos segundo a idade de início das CE: de 51-60 anos (G51-60) e após os 60 anos (G60+). Predominaram as CE focais, que foram menos frequentes em G60+. A ocorrência de status epilepticus foi elevada e mais frequente em G60+, enquanto as CE em série predominaram em G51-60. A epilepsia sintomática foi a mais frequente e de etiologia vascular. Atividade epileptiforme esteve associada ao maior número de crises epilépticas. Anormalidades da atividade de base ao EEG foram mais frequentes em G60+. Em conclusão, a epilepsia iniciada após os 50 anos é predominantemente focal e sintomática, com alta ocorrência de status epilepticus e CE em série.