Clinical characteristics of cerebrovascular disease complicated with secondary epilepsy in the elderly / 中华老年医学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To investigate clinical characteristics of cerebrovascular disease complicated with secondary epilepsy in the elderly, and to provide the targeted health care measures.Methods:The 106 elderly patients with epilepsy secondary to cerebrovascular diseases treated in Three Gorges Hospital Affiliated to Chongqing University were enrolled as the epilepsy group, and another 106 patients with single cerebrovascular disease without secondary epilepsy during same period were included as the control group.Clinical features and epileptic seizure activity were observed and analyzed, and the targeted health care measures were developed.Results:The proportions of patients with cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral lobe infarction, cortical dysfunction and abnormal brain waves were higher in the epilepsy group [ 66.99%(71 cases), 68.87%(73 cases), 83.02%(88 cases), 70.75%(75 cases), respectively]than in the control group(43.40% or 46 cases, 46.23% or 49 cases, 61.32% or 65 cases, 53.77% or 57 cases)( χ2=11.921、11.121、12.424、6.505, all P<0.05). NFD scores before treatment had no significant difference between the epilepsy group and the control group(22.7±4.8 vs.23.4±5.1, t=1.029, P=0.152). NFD score after 3 months of treatment was higher in the epilepsy group than in the control group(14.3±2.9 vs.10.1±2.5, t=11.294, P=0.000). Conclusions:Epilepsy is a common complication of various cerebrovascular diseases, among which the cerebral hemorrhage is the most common.Polyloencephalopathy and cortical involvement can increase the risk of epilepsy in patients with cerebrovascular diseases.Therefore, it is very important to provide the necessary treatment and health care, so as to reduce the impact of epileptic seizure on the disease condition and improve prognosis in patients with cerebrovascular disease.