Seizure disorder in the men of a Veterans Administration nursing home

This study examined the descriptive epidemiology of seizure disorder in 129 male residents of a Veterans Administration Nursing Home. Eighty-seven of the residents were institutionalized because of nonpsychiatric disorders (60 for chronic neurologic diseases, and 27 for other medical conditions). Forty-two were institutionalized because of a chronic psychosis (39 for schizophrenia, three for affective disorders). We determined for each resident an extensive clinical data base of 54 items including measures of hematologic, nutritional, metabolic and endocrine status, as well as continuing medications. In the nonpsychiatric group, 16 of the 87 men had a seizure disorder. In the psychiatric group, this proportion was only three of 42. The prevalence of epilepsy in the nonpsychiatric group was 20-40 times greater than in the aged-matched general population of men. In the nonpsychiatric group, the onset of seizures followed the onset of organic brain disease. Forty-five percent of seizure disorders occurred in men who had experienced a cerebrovascular accident, and 23% in men with other types of chronic brain disease. The seizures of the nonpsychiatric men had been observed to be generalized clonic-tonic in 45%, and partial complex in 22%. Ninety-four percent of the nonpsychiatric men with epilepsy received anticonvulsants, and none had experienced more than one seizure during the preceding year. Univariate statistical analysis of the 54 item data base showed that the occurrence of seizure disorder correlated inversely with age, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and serum bilirubin, and directly with plasma testosterone, hemoglobin, use of anticonvulsants, and use of psychotherapeutic agents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)