[Epilepsy in elderly]

Seventy-two elderly patients with a possible diagnosis of epilepsy were studied. A study included the evaluation of anamnesis, clinical and neurological examination, EEG and/or video-EEG-monitoring, MRI of the brain. The follow-up period was 1-5 years (on average 3 years). Epilepsy was confirmed in 58 cases. Symptomatic partial epilepsy was diagnosed in 43,1% patients, cryptogenic - in 55,2%. Cerebrovascular accidents were the most frequent cause of symptomatic epilepsy. The distinct feature of the cohort studied was the non-compliance recorded in a half of all patients. In the end of the study, 46,6% patients received carbamazepine, 34,5% - valproate, 24,1% - phenobarbital, 13,8% - topiramate, 3,4% - phenytoin, 1,7% - lamotrigine and 12,1% of patients did not use antiepileptic drugs. Clinical features, efficacy of diagnosis and treatment as well as reasons of non-compliance in elderly epileptic patients were described and analyzed.