HealthDay News – High blood pressure is associated with an increased risk of developing epilepsy, according to a study in Epilepsy published online Nov. 17.
Maria Stefanidou, MD, of Boston University School of Medicine, and colleagues examined the role of modifiable vascular risk factors in predicting subsequent epilepsy in those ages 45 and older in the Framingham Heart Study. Data from 2,986 participants for whom data on vascular risk factors and epilepsy follow-up were available were included.
The researchers identified 55 cases of epilepsy during an average follow-up of 19 years. The risk of developing epilepsy in connection with hypertension was almost doubled after adjustment for prevalent and interim strokes (hazard ratio 1.93). After excluding patients with normal blood pressure who received antihypertensive treatment, the association was further increased (hazard ratio 2.44).
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“Our study shows that high blood pressure, a common, modifiable, vascular risk factor, is an independent predictor of epilepsy in old age,” Stefanidou said in a statement. “Even if epidemiological studies can only show an association and no causality, this observation can help identify subsets of patients who benefit from targeted, aggressive hypertension management and encourage the conduct of special clinical studies that focus on early interventions to reduce the burden of epilepsy in older age. “
One author announced financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
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Subjects:
Epilepsy seizure disorders
