Epilepsy Prevalence in the 0-17 Age Group in Trabzon, Turkey

Objective: Epilepsy is a most common serious neurological disorder and is one of the world’s most prevalent non-communicable diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of epilepsy in 0–17 year old children in Trabzon, Turkey.
Methods: A cross-sectional epidemiological investigation was performed in two phases, a screening phase and a confirmation of the diagnosis phase. The gold standard was a clinical investigation and neurological examination. The diagnosis of epilepsy followed clinical guidelines proposed by the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE). The chi-square test was used in analysis of the results and P-value <0.05 was calculated.
Findings: The prevalence per 1000 participants of epilepsy was 8.6 (5.9–11.4; 95%CI). We detected 37 cases (18 males and 19 females) of epilepsy. The male/female ratio was 0.95. This study showed an increased risk for epilepsy with low socioeconomic level, a history of postpartum seizure, meningitis, head trauma, febrile convulsion and family history of epilepsy. More than one seizure type was present in 15 (40.5%) of epileptic children. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures were determined in 24 patients (64.9%) and absence type in 9 (24.3%).  It was found that 25.0% of children with epilepsy had never visited the school at the time the study was performed due to the disease and attendant seizures.
Conclusion: The prevalence of epilepsy in Trabzon is low compared to other parts of Turkey and other developing countries.