Symptomatic localization-related epilepsy as a function of age at onset

We analyzed 2,590 patients focusing on epilepsy as a function of age at onset, with special attention to symptomatic, localization-related epilepsy. Epilepsy with aphasic fits occurred most often in the young-adult-onset (20 less than or equal to <40 years old) group, while histories of febrile convulsive status were closely related to childhood-onset (<10 years old) epilepsy, and episodes of cerebrovascular disease preceded the middle-age onset (40 years old less than or equal to) epilepsy with significant frequency. The incidence of extratemporal epileptiform discharge as well as generalized spike waves declined with advancing age. Instead, temporal epileptiform discharge tended to prevail increasingly with aging. We stressed the need to examine symptomatic localization-related epilepsy chronologically just as we examine generalized and benign partial epilepsies. (C) 1997 by Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.