Epidemiology of Seizures and Epilepsy in Cerebrovascular Disease

Epilepsy and stroke are two of the most common neurologic diseases. Classically, epilepsy has been considered to be predominantly a disease of the young while stroke is commonly considered to be a disease of older adults. However, as more people live to more advanced ages, seizures have become more common in the elderly. In fact, new-onset seizures now occur most commonly in senior adults. As in younger people, the causes of seizures in older adults are often not identified. However, stroke is the underlying cause of a significant minority of seizures in older adults. This chapter reviews the basic epidemiology of seizures and epilepsy and then the epidemiology of stroke. Next, the focus shifts to the epidemiology of epilepsy in stroke. Finally, the epidemiology of seizures in selected cerebrovascular diseases is reviewed.