Epileptic seizures and antiepileptic drug use in elderly nursing home residents

Some studies indicate that antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are extensively prescribed for elderly nursing home residents in U.S.A. To assess the prevalence of AED use and of epileptic seizures in the elderly nursing home residents, we considered age and gender data, fanctional state by the Barthel's Index, drugs currently taken on a scheduled basis, epileptic seizures in the case history, in 2001 subjects aged 60 years and over, living in nursing homes in the province of Pavia, Northern Italy. The prevalence of AED users we found (4.3%) was lower than that reported by previous studies; however, it was higher than that we found in the elderly persons living in their own home in our countries. In our series, AED taking seems to imply an earlier institutionalisation of the elderly subjects, with gender and age related difference.