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Antiepileptic drugs for older people

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2008

Peter Burbridge*
Affiliation:
The Royal Bournemouth Hospital., Bournemouth, UK
Stephen Allen
Affiliation:
The Royal Bournemouth Hospital., Bournemouth, UK
Michael Vassallo
Affiliation:
The Royal Bournemouth Hospital., Bournemouth, UK
Joseph Kwan
Affiliation:
The Royal Bournemouth Hospital., Bournemouth, UK
*
Address for correspondence: PM Burbridge, Elderly Care Medicine, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust, London Road, Reading RG1 5AN, UK.

Extract

Epilepsy in older people is a common problem. It is estimated that in Europe there are 85 000 new cases of epilepsy annually in those over 65 years old, equivalent to an incidence of 100 per 100 000. Incidence increases with age and the rate in older people is higher than in all but the first year of life. The older population has a median prevalence of 4.7 per 1000 (range 3.0 to 7.3) from nine studies and may be underestimated by case-ascertainment bias common to many studies of older people.

Type
Clinical geriatrics
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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