Objective: The aim of this study was to find out if late onset bipolar patients were different from bipolar patients without late onset disorder.
Methods: In this study, we evaluated 144 bipolar cases which met DSM IV diagnosis criteria. Our cut-off for late onset bipolar disorder was 40 years of age. Seventeen cases who were retrospectively determined as having late onset disease were compared with 127 non late onset cases.
Results: Psychotic and mixed episodes, rapid cycling, seasonality and switch with antidepressants were more frequent and hyperthymic temperament scores were higher in patients with late onset disease. Comorbid diseases were more frequent in the late onset patient group: 83% had hypertension, 71% had diabetes mellitus and 23% had cerebrovascular disease. Family history for medical illness was more frequent among late onset patients also.
Conclusions: In bipolar disorder, age of onset is accepted as an important marker in determining different subtypes and in predicting different clinical courses and comorbidity. Vascular pathologies which were determined more frequently, especially in late onset cases must be evaluated carefully and the necessity for a general medical examination must not be ignored.
Key words: Bipolar disorder, late onset, vascular disease
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