Seizures in Young Stroke Survivors Double Dementia Risk

Findings seen for all strokes, ischemic strokes, and hemorrhagic strokes

FRIDAY, July 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) — The onset of seizures in young stroke survivors is associated with more than a doubled risk for developing dementia, according to a study published July 26 in Neurology.

Alain Lekoubou, M.D., from Penn State University in Hershey, and colleagues used the IBM Watson Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database to identify 23,680 patients (aged 18 to 60 years) with ischemic strokes or hemorrhagic strokes from 2006 through 2009.

The researchers found that the cumulative incidence of seizure was 6.7 percent for all strokes, 6.4 percent for ischemic strokes, and 8.3 percent for hemorrhagic strokes, while the cumulative incidence of dementia was 1.3, 1.4, and 0.9 percent, respectively. Young patients with stroke who developed seizures had a greater risk for dementia versus those without seizures (adjusted hazard ratios, 2.53, 2.52, and 2.80 for all strokes, ischemic strokes, and hemorrhagic strokes, respectively).

“Dementia is a disease with high economic and social burden,” Lekoubou said in a statement. “Since strokes are occurring in younger people and survival rates are increasing, it is important to understand the long-term effects and determine who is at greatest risk for severe complications like dementia.”