The little-known link between dementia and epilepsy
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Jeff Will, 73, experienced episodes of confusion and memory loss for several years.
PHOTO: DUSTIN FRANZ/NYTIMES
Pam Belluck
- Epileptic seizures can cause dementia-like symptoms, often subtle and unnoticed, leading to confusion and memory loss that sometimes resolve with anti-seizure medication.
- There is a two-way link: epilepsy increases dementia risk two to threefold, and dementia raises seizure risk similarly, affecting millions of older adults.
- Accurate diagnosis allows effective treatment, stopping seizures and improving cognitive function, highlighting the need for greater awareness of this connection.
AI generated
NEW YORK – The strange episodes started several years ago, when Jeff Will was not yet 70.
At the electrical contracting business he had run for decades, employees noticed him acting oddly, zoning out in meetings, forgetting what was discussed. They would call his wife, Pam, asking her to come get him.