[Considerations about late-onset epilepsy].

OBJECTIVE

To make a revision of the general point of view on late-onset epilepsy, known as epilepsy that starts in the mature age after 25 years old; around 25% of the patients with epilepsy had their first crisis after that age, with an increase in the incidence in the course of the age.

DEVELOPMENT: The main ethiologies are discussed, standing out: alcoholism (22%), stroke (18%), tumors (10%), metabolic imbalances (10%), infections of the CNS, trauma, atrophies and cisticercosis. For the diagnosis is required a complete clinical evaluation, cardiovascular examination, metabolic tests, EEG and neuroimage studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Monotherapy with phenobarbital, carbamazepine and valproate, control 80% of cases and failure related to patients with wide spread cerebral damage.