Bidirectional Link Seen for Myocardial Infarction and Late-Onset Epilepsy

FRIDAY, Nov. 7, 2025 (HealthDay News) — There is a bidirectional association between myocardial infarction (MI) and late-onset epilepsy (LOE), according to a study published online Nov. 5 in Neurology.

Evan L. Thacker, Ph.D., from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and colleagues examined whether stroke-free middle-aged and older adults with incident MI have an increased risk for incident LOE and whether those with incident LOE have increased risks for incident MI and nonstroke vascular deaths in a population-based cohort study of 3,174 individuals aged 40 years and older from the Northern Manhattan Study.

Overall, 296 participants (9.3 percent) developed incident MI, 120 (3.8 percent) developed incident LOE, and 794 (25.0 percent) died of nonstroke vascular causes. The researchers found that incident LOE occurred at a rate of 7.02 and 2.49 cases per 1,000 person-years after incident MI and among those without MI, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.12; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06 to 4.25; P = 0.035). Incident MI occurred at a rate of 17.68 and 6.46 cases per 1,000 person-years after incident LOE and among those without LOE, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.99; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.98 to 4.05; P = 0.059). Nonstroke vascular death occurred at a rate of 99.24 and 16.29 deaths per 1,000 person-years among those with and without LOE, respectively (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.82; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.09 to 3.80; P < 0.001). Similar results were seen in sensitivity analyses.

“These findings highlight the interconnectedness that heart and vascular health may have with brain health in later life,” Thacker said in a statement. “When an older adult has a heart attack, clinicians may want to stay alert for possible seizures later.”

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)