The onset of seizures in young stroke survivors is associated with more than a doubled risk for developing dementia, according to a study published in Neurology. Vernon Chinchilli, PhD, and colleagues used the IBM Watson Health MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database to identify 23,680 patients aged 18-60 with ischemic strokes or hemorrhagic strokes during 2006-2009. The cumulative incidence rates for seizure were 6.7% for all strokes, 6.4% for ischemic strokes, and 8.3% for hemorrhagic strokes, while the cumulative incidence rates for dementia were 1.3%, 1.4%, and 0.9%, respectively. Young patients with stroke who developed seizures had a greater risk for dementia versus those without seizures (adjusted HRs, 2.53 for all strokes, 2.52 for ischemic strokes, and 2.80 for hemorrhagic strokes). “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,” a co-author said in a statement.
