JLE

Epileptic Disorders

MENU

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy starting in the eighth decade Volume 9, numéro 3, September 2007

Auteurs
Department of Neurology, University of Pécs, Pécs, Epilepsy Center, National Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Budapest, Bethesda Children’s Hospital, Budapest, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) typically begins at age 10-17 years. We present two patients, with no previous history of epileptic seizures, in whom JME began after the age of 70. The clinical picture of these patients did not differ from “typical” JME except for the patient’s age and age at epilepsy-onset. We suggest that not only symptomatic epilepsy, but also some idiopathic epilepsies, can begin or can be reactivated in elderly people. This may be more evidence that susceptibility to epileptic seizures is increased after 60 years of age.