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Rett syndrome: Treatment and prognosis

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs almost exclusively in females. After a brief period of initially normal development, affected patients experience loss of speech and purposeful hand use, stereotypic hand movements, and gait abnormalities. Additional manifestations include deceleration of head growth, seizures, autistic features, and breathing abnormalities. RTT is not a degenerative disorder. Rather, it is a progressive disorder with multisystem symptom evolution over the lifespan.

Seizures and epilepsy in older adults: Etiology, clinical presentation, and diagnosis

Seizures and epilepsy are common in older adults. Nearly one-half of new-onset seizures occur in individuals over the age of 65 years; however, recognizing seizures in this population is challenging because of the paroxysmal nature of the condition and the clinically subtle presentation of seizures in the majority of cases. Treatment decisions are also more complex; older patients are more susceptible to medication side effects and carry a greater burden of medical comorbidities.

Seizures are episodes of transient neurologic change due to hypersynchronous, hyperexcited neuronal activity. Seizures are divided into two categories: provoked and unprovoked. Provoked seizures, also known as acute symptomatic seizures, occur with an identifiable proximate cause and are not expected to recur in the absence of that particular cause or trigger (eg, hypoglycemia, alcohol withdrawal).