Management of Status Epilepticus among the Elderly
Somsak Tiamkao, MD1,2, Siriporn Tiamkao, MD2,3
Affiliation : 1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 2Intergrated Epilepsy Research Group, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 3Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand
Status epilepticus (SE) can occur in individuals of all ages and genders, but they are often found among the elderly. This rising prevalence of epilepsy in older adults is higher. SE need prompt diagnosis and treatment. However, diagnosing this condition in the elderly is often challenging due to incomplete information from the patients’ medical histories. The cause of SE in the elderly group was more frequently attributed to remote symptomatic causes that were primarily due to cerebrovascular disease. Accurate and rapid diagnosis of elderly patients with SE requires that physicians have more experience. The factors affecting treatment outcomes of SE in elderly patients are as follows: 1) the length of the hospital stay, 2) the duration of the stay in the intensive care unit, and 3) the occurrence of infections during treatments. In the treatment of SE in the elderly, the selection of the most appropriate anticonvulsants is essential since patients often have comorbidities and are taking multiple medications.
Keywords : Status epilepticus; Elderly; Management
