People with epilepsy could have a six times higher risk of developing dementia before the age of 65, also known as early-onset or young-onset dementia, than people without epilepsy, says a new study in the journal Neurology published this month.
Despite this link, study authors say that the research doesn’t establish either condition as the cause of the other and that the absolute risk remains low.
The study looked at associations between the two conditions in two counties, France and Sweden. Using national databases from both countries, researchers used two approaches to establish whether there was a link.
Epilepsy and increased risk of dementia
In their first approach, they identified 11,360 people diagnosed with young-onset dementia in France and matched them with 10 people of the same age and sex but who did not have dementia – a total of 113,600.
They looked back at the people’s records to see if they’d had an epilepsy diagnosis or use of epilepsy medication in the previous 10 years. In France, the number of people who did have epilepsy was 10 times higher in the group who had developed dementia than the group who hadn’t – 12.5% compared with 1.2%.
Of the group with dementia, more than a quarter (27.3%) had been given epilepsy medications compared to around one in 10 (10.3%) in those without dementia.
The group in Sweden comprised 16,433 people with young-onset dementia and 164,330 without and yielded similar results.
The second part of the study had researchers identify 12,901 people with newly diagnosed epilepsy. They were followed up for 10 years to see if they developed young-onset dementia. This group’s outcome was compared to that of 64,083 people with existing epilepsy and 129,010 people without epilepsy.
The results were adjusted to account for other factors that could impact the risk of dementia, including stroke, mood disorders and traumatic brain injury, and showed a six-times greater risk of developing young-onset dementia in people with epilepsy compared with people without.
Integrated care
Study author Dr Vincent Navarro, from Sorbonne University in Paris, said: “Previous studies have shown a link between epilepsy and late-onset dementia, but limited evidence was available about young-onset dementia.
“While these results show a strong relationship between epilepsy and young-onset dementia, it’s important to remember that absolute risk is low.”
Despite some limitations, including a lack of information on the type and cause of the dementia and the type of epilepsy, and a lack of representation of the situation outside high-income countries, the researchers say this research suggests linked up care could be helpful.
“These results support integrating dementia prevention into the care of people with epilepsy,” Dr Navarro said. “They may benefit from earlier assessments of their cognitive risks and intensified management of risk factors that can be modified, such as cardiovascular factors like high blood pressure.”
For more information about epilepsy and memory, visit the Epilepsy Action website or call the free Epilepsy Action helpline.
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