Epilepsy Strongly Linked to Young-Onset Dementia

MONDAY, Oct. 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Epilepsy is strongly associated with young-onset dementia (YOD; age younger than 65 years), according to a study published online Oct. 14 in Neurology.Quentin Calonge, M.D., from Sorbonne Université in France, and colleagues examined the epilepsy-YOD association in France and Sweden in three nationwide analyses. A French nested case-control analysis included patients with incident YOD aged 40 to 64 years, with controls risk-set matched on age, sex, and region (11,360 cases and 113,600 controls). A Swedish nested case-control replication included patients with YOD and matched controls (16,433 cases and 164,330 controls). A French retrospective cohort included adults aged 30 to 55 years with incident epilepsy in 2008, matched to individuals with prevalent epilepsy before 2008 or with no epilepsy (12,901 individuals with incident epilepsy, 64,083 with prevalent epilepsy, and 129,010 controls).The researchers found that 12.5 percent of YOD cases and 1.2 percent of controls had previous epilepsy-related codes in France (adjusted odds ratio aOR], 3.76), and 27.3 versus 10.3 percent had antiseizure medication dispensations (aOR, 1.44). In the French retrospective cohort, 10-year cumulative YOD incidence was 2.20, 1.74, and 0.21 percent for those with incident epilepsy, with prevalent epilepsy, and without epilepsy (adjusted hazard ratios, 6.02 and 5.38 for incident epilepsy and prevalent epilepsy versus no epilepsy)."These results support integrating dementia prevention into the care of people with epilepsy," coauthor Vincent Navarro, M.D., Ph.D., also from Sorbonne Université, said in a statement. "They may benefit from earlier assessments of their cognitive risks and intensified management of risk factors that can be modified."One author disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Epilepsy Strongly Linked to Young-Onset Dementia

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