Management and health implications of epilepsy in older women

The epilepsies have a prevalence of 0.5–1%, which makes them among the most common neuropsychiatric diseases. In contrast to clinical intuition, in highly industrialized countries the peak incidence of epilepsy is observed among those aged over 60 years. This of course is due to demographic change: this section of industrialized societies is steadily growing, especially for women. The clinical presentation, etiology, diagnosis and treatment of elderly patients with epilepsy are summarized in this paper, with a focus on women and the management and health implications of epilepsy for elderly patients. Gender-specific issues such as the influence of perimenopausal hormonal changes, bone health and hormone replacement therapy are discussed.