The frequency of epilepsy preceding stroke. Case-control study in 230 patients.

In a case-control study, evidence of previous epilepsy was sought in 230 consecutive patients under the age of 70 admitted to hospital with acute stroke. 8 (4.5%) of the 176 patients having their first stroke were epileptic, compared with 1 (0.6%) of the matched controls. 6 of the 8 epileptics started their seizures after the age of 30 years. 5 (9.3%) of the 54 patients who had had a previous stroke were epileptic, compared with none of the control patients. The findings support the idea that otherwise clinically undetectable cerebrovascular disease may present with seizures and that these can be a warning sign for a future stroke.