Description
Epilepsy is common in the older adult, but is often difficult to diagnose and treat. Seizures starting in later life generally originate from a focal lesion and investigations are aimed at identifying an underlying cause, the most common of which is cerebrovascular disease. Seizures in older people usually respond well to antiepileptic medication but the choice of antiepileptic drug is often limited by drug tolerability. There are few specific guidelines addressing treatment of epilepsy in older people, but there is now recent evidence to suggest lamotrigine is suitable in this age group.
