Epidemiology of Epilepsies: Overview

Abstract

Brief DescriptionEpidemiology is the study of the frequency and causes of health states in the population. The application of epidemiological techniques to the study of epilepsy began with the seminal work of Kurland in the 1950s (Kurland 1959). This early work not only provided the first estimates of the incidence and prevalence of epilepsy but also led to what would later because a highly successful operational definition of epilepsy which has become the standard used is just about all epidemiological studies around the world (Commission on Epidemiology and Prognosis and International League Against Epilepsy 1993).Practical Issues in Clinical PracticeDiagnosis of epilepsy means adequate and accurate recognition of an epileptic seizure and being able to distinguish epileptic from nonepileptic events. There are repeated accounts of the misdiagnosis of nonepileptic seizures (Pellock 2006), arrhythmogenic heart disorders (Johnson et a ...