Neurológia pre prax 6/2020

Epilepsy in patients with dementia

Epileptic seizures are more prevalent in patients with dementia in comparison to normal aging population. Incidence of seizures depends on the aetiology and level of progression. Studies on the patients with Alzheimer´s dementia show wide range of epilepsy prevalence between 4 and 47 % depending on the patient group and the study design with the highest prevalence in the early onset autosomal dominant Alzheimer dementia. Both the diagnostics and treatment of epilepsy in dementia are quite specific. Diagnostics require cooperation with the caregivers and repeated EEG examination ideally with preceding sleep deprivation. The most important recommendations are exclusion of acute symptomatic seizures, choosing the antiepileptic medication with least harmful effects on cognition in the lowest effective doses with the drug level monitoration.

Keywords: dementia, epilepsy, Alzheimer dementia, antiepileptic medication