Abstract

Background: Seizures are widespread illnesses that have been recognised since
antiquity and are commonly encountered in medical practice. The purpose of this study
was to determine the most often seen etiologies of seizures in elderly patients.
Methods: The present cross-sectional study include105 cases of Seizure in patients aged
50 years and above of either gender who were admitted between January 2020 and
December 2020 to the Medicine Department of the BRD Medical College in north-east
UP. Each patient's data were obtained using a custom-designed proforma that included
a complete history, clinical characteristics, past medical history, physical examination,
liver function test, renal function test, serum electrolytes, CSF analysis, EEG,CT Head,
MRI brain(if required).
Results: Seizures were more common in males (57.14%) when compared to females
(42.86%), with a male to female ratio of 1.44:1. The most common cause of Seizure
(26.67 %) was vascular (infarct) followed by Metabolic. Among metabolic causes,
Hyponatremia (22.86%) was the most frequent followed by Hyperglycemia (20 %) and
Hypoglycemia (5.71 %). The most prevalent type of Seizure (92.38 %) was
generalised(GTCS), followed by focal (7.62 %).
Conclusions: Seizures in the elderly deserve special attention in terms of aetiology, as
most are due to some underlying cause. Primary care physicians are crucial in
identifying individuals with elderly onset seizures and arranging biochemical testing
and imaging to provide a correct etiological diagnosis. However, additional large
multicentric studies will be necessary to increase the study's generalizability.