TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Fall related to epileptic seizures in the elderly
JO  - Epileptic disorders
A1  - Nguyen-Michel, Vi-Huong
A1  - Bornand, Anne
A1  - Balathazar, Aroquia-Marie-Edith
A1  - Kinugawa, Kiyoka
A1  - Lâm, Xuân-Yên
A1  - Piette, François
A1  - Mariani, Jean
A1  - Dupont, Sophie
SP  - 287
EP  - 291
VL  - 17
IS  - 3
N2  - It is well known that both falls and epileptic seizures are very frequent and harmful in the elderly. Moreover, although seizures may cause falls, their relationship is poorly documented in this population. We report four women (mean age: 84.5 years) who presented falls with: late-onset focal seizures of possible parietal (Case 1) or frontal localisation (Case 2), early onset with late aggravation of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (Case 3), and generalised situation-related myoclonic seizures (Case 4). Falls were presumably associated with tonic posturing of left (Case 1) or right (Case 2) hemibody, to bilateral and massive myoclonic jerks (Cases 3 and 4) with a loss of consciousness (Case 3). The diagnosis of seizures was difficult and routine EEG was unremarkable in Cases 1 and 2, requiring video-EEG monitoring to capture the clinical events. Adequate treatment offered recovery from seizures and falls in all patients. Other mechanisms of seizure-induced falls in older patients and their management are discussed. In conclusion, falls may be caused by different seizure types and appear to be underestimated due to difficulties in seizure diagnosis in the elderly. Recognizing falls related to seizures is important in geriatric practice, as it facilitates adequate management.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1294-9361
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1684/epd.2015.0752
ID  - ref1
ER  -