Epilepsy in the elderly

RESUMO

With the ageing of the Brazilian population a growing number of elderly people will be seeking attention from our system. Epilepsy is an increasingly prevalent problem in old age, which demands the awareness of our doctors to the epecial features of such late onset cases. Partial seizures, which are usually secondary to stroke or brain tumours, are the most frequent in old age, although sbsequent generalisation often occurs. The use of EEG and imaging methods might be helpful for the diagnosis of epilepsy as well as for the clarification of the aetiological factors. It has been suggested that carbamazepine and sodium valproate are the safest drugs for the treatment of these patients