[Age-related aspects of paroxysmal mental disorders in the debut of epilepsy]

Seventy-four patients with paroxysmal mental disorders in the debut of epilepsy have been examined. To study an age-related aspect of these disorders, all patients have been stratified by age at debut of epilepsy into 3 subgroups (children, adolescence and adult age). Based on a key psychopathological syndrome, three types of simple and complex partial "psychiatric" seizures have been singled out. The higher is the age of debut, the higher are the variability of clinical presentations of psychopathological disorders and more complex clinical presentations of complex partial (psychomotor) attacks in the structure of simple partial seizures. In children aged 7-14 years and people older than 18 years, the simple partial "psychiatric" seizures as well as first manifestations of disease were seen more often than in adolescents. This type of debut was not observed in children younger than 7 years. The age curve of debut of epilepsy with complex partial seizures has two distinct peaks, at the children (up to 7 years) and adult ages. In the group older than 18 years, frequencies of psychomotor seizures and first disease manifestations are inversely correlated with age.