Cognitive impairment accelerates, life expectancy shortened by 7 years ↑
One study found that if older people with Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia, exhibit seizure-like seizures or stare into space, their mental decline progresses much faster and they are much more likely to die early.
According to a study by the University of Virginia School of Medicine in the United States, when Alzheimer’s patients suddenly begin exhibiting symptoms of seizures such as staring at a day with blurry eyes or shaking their limbs, their mental decline accelerates and the their risk of dying about seven years earlier increased
“Unfortunately, seizures are easy to misdiagnose because the symptoms can be subtle and the patient appears confused,” said the study’s lead author, assistant professor Ifra Zawwar of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Caregivers, like family members, often mistake seizures as typical symptoms of dementia and overlook them. Healthcare professionals should be on the lookout for these seizure symptoms and inform their doctor to slow the progression. Timely diagnosis and appropriate anticonvulsant drugs should be prescribed.
The research team analyzed data from 39 Alzheimer’s disease research centers between 2005 and 2021. Out of 26,000 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, 374 (1.4%) experienced multiple attacks. Mental decline in people with seizure-prone Alzheimer’s began before age 63. This is about 5 years ahead of a seizure-free patient (68 years old). A person with Alzheimer’s who develops seizures has died at the age of 73. This is about 7 years ahead of a seizure-free patient (80 years old).
Additionally, Alzheimer’s patients who developed seizures were associated with genetic mutations, strokes, traumatic brain injury and depression, and were more likely to have lower educational attainments. Alzheimer’s patients who develop seizures have problems with thinking, communication, understanding and memory. They also had more difficulty with basic daily activities, such as eating, bathing, dressing and using the toilet. Seizures occur in 64 percent of people with dementia, and people with dementia are 6 to 10 times more likely to have seizures than people without dementia.
“We know that people with dementia are more likely to have seizures and people who have seizures are more likely to develop dementia,” Zawwar said. This should be seen as a “chicken and egg problem”.
The results of this study (Seizures Seem Tied to Faster Decline in People With Dementia) were presented at the American Society for Epilepsy (AES) annual meeting. It is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal and was introduced by the American health media ‘Health Day’.
