People with epilepsy appear to show signs of mild memory problems or Alzheimer’s disease earlier than those without epilepsy, according to a new study.
“Careful identification and treatment of epilepsy in such patients may improve their clinical course,” concluded Dr. Keith Vossel, of the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease in San Francisco, and colleagues.
The researchers evaluated data on 54 patients and found that those with mild memory problems and epilepsy showed signs of mental decline nearly seven years earlier than those with mild memory problems who did not have epilepsy — average age 64 years versus 71 years.
