Skip Navigation



Age and Ageing Advance Access published online on January 13, 2006
Age and Ageing, doi:10.1093/ageing/afj024
This Article
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
35/2/194    most recent
afj024v1
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Jacob, S.
Right arrow Articles by Rajabally, Y. A.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Jacob, S.
Right arrow Articles by Rajabally, Y. A.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2006. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org
Received August 17, 2005
Accepted October 17, 2005

Case Report

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy in an elderly patient

Saiju Jacob 1, Darren Martin 2, and Yusuf A. Rajabally 3 *

1 Department of Neurology, Leicester General Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK
2 Department of Neurophysiology, Leicester General Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK
3 Department of Neurology and Department of Neurophysiology, Leicester General Hospital, University Hospitals of Leicester, Leicester LE5 4PW, UK

* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
Yusuf A. Rajabally, E-mail: yusuf.rajabally{at}uhl-tr.nhs.uk


  Abstract

Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy constitutes 5-10% of idiopathic generalised epileptic syndromes. The clinical triad of absence seizures, myoclonic jerks and generalised tonic clonic seizures (GTCS) rarely begin after the second decade of life. We present the case of a 74-year-old lady presenting for the first time with myoclonic jerks and absences. The electro encephalogram revealed generalised polyspike and wave epileptiform activity with photosensitivity. On close questioning, she appeared to have had a single episode of GTCS at the age of 10. She remained asymptomatic for 64 years before the diagnosis was made. Although rare, idiopathic myoclonic epilepsy could remain asymptomatic for decades and can present in the elderly. Proper classification of this epileptic syndrome, even in the elderly, is essential in view of the response to appropriate antiepileptic therapy.

Keywords: juvenile myoclonic epilepsy, elderly.
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 NeurologyHome page
B. Baykan, E. A. Altindag, N. Bebek, A. Y. Ozturk, B. Aslantas, C. Gurses, I. Baral-Kulaksizoglu, and A. Gokyigit
Myoclonic seizures subside in the fourth decade in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
Neurology, May 27, 2008; 70(22_Part_2): 2123 - 2129.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.