The number of elderly people affected could increase sharply in the coming years, unless they are taken care of and follow their treatment to reduce their arterial hypertension.
- A third of epileptic seizures do not respond to current treatments.
- Preventing the onset of this disease is therefore a public health issue.
Patients with high blood pressure are twice as likely to suffer from epilepsy, according to a study recently published in the journal Epilepsy. According to the researchers, the number of elderly people affected could increase sharply in the coming years, unless they are taken care of and follow their treatment to reduce their arterial hypertension. This phenomenon would concern more countries where the population is ageing.
High blood pressure affects one in three adults
In France, one in three adults is affected by high blood pressure, according to I’National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm). This illness can be defined as abnormally high blood pressure in blood vessels. Most of the time, it is measured during consultations with his general practitioner with a tensiometer. Normal blood pressure is 120/80. The first number is the systolic pressure, it is equivalent to the maximum pressure when the heart contracts to empty itself of blood. 80 is the diastolic pressure, which is the minimum when the heart relaxes to fill. We speak of high blood pressure when these figures exceed 149/90 at the doctor’s office and 135/85 at home.
Epilepsy, the third neurological condition in the elderly
In this study, the researchers link high blood pressure and epilepsy. It is a chronic disease that manifests itself in frequent epileptic seizures. These occur for no particular reason and result in a sudden and transient disruption of the electrical activity of the brain. The study authors estimate that this neurological condition is the third most common among elderly, after strokes and dementia-related illnesses. Their work highlights high blood pressure as a risk factor in the development of epilepsy.
High blood pressure is a risk factor for epilepsy, but not tobacco or diabetes
To achieve this result, the scientists analyzed data from 2,986 Americans over the age of 45. They underwent an initial medical examination between 1991 and 1995 and were then followed for almost twenty years. During this period, 55 of them were diagnosed with epilepsy. Armed with this information, the researchers were able to observe that the risk of suffering from this disease was twice as high in those suffering from arterial hypertension. On the other hand, they also analyzed other risk factors, such as diabetes or smoking.
Results: they did not promote the development of epilepsy. “No other common cerebrovascular risk factor showed a significant associationensures Maria Stefanidou, one of the authors. Since hypertension is a very common risk factor, expected to increase in the short term, and frequently remains untreated, our results should influence public health services because hypertension can be controlled.“. In other words, to put in place preventive measures within the general population.
According to Insermcurrently, more than 600,000 people suffer from epilepsy in France.
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