Authors :
Presenting Author: Ifrah Zawar, MD, MS-CR – University of Virginia
Mark Quigg, MD, MSc – University of Virginia
Carol Manning, PhD – University of Virginia
Jaideep Kapur, MD, PhD – University of Virginia
Rationale: The risk of developing epilepsy rises substantially in older age, an entity known as late-onset epilepsy (LOE). Up to 50% of LOE cases are linked to neurodegeneration and stroke. However, its postmortem neuropathological findings remain unknown. We compared postmortem findings in longitudinally followed individuals who did and did not develop LOE, using multicenter data from 42 U.S. Tertiary Care Centers between 2005 and 2024. Those with normal and impaired cognition were included.
Methods:
Individuals were grouped by those who developed LOE (epilepsy starting after 50) and those who did not (controls). Those who developed early-onset epilepsy (< 50) were excluded. Baseline demographics, mortality, and postmortem evidence of Alzheimer’s Disease(AD), Frontotemporal lobar degeneration(FTD), Lewy body, vascular pathologies, and neurodegeneration were compared among the groups using Pearson’s Chi-squared test, Fisher’s exact test, and t-test.