Frontal-Complex Partial Status Epilepticus Misdiagnosed as Bipolar Affective Disorder in a 75-Year-Old Man

Abstract

The incidence and prevalence of epilepsy increases with age, with the majority of cases having a known cause, and approximately half of elderly patients with epilepsy experiencing complex partial seizures that often present initially as neuropsychiatric symptoms. This presentation often delays diagnosis of the epileptiform disorder. To illustrate, we present the case of a 75-year-old man who was initially misdiagnosed with bipolar affective disorder later to be revealed as a frontal lobe seizure disorder.