Rates of epilepsy worldwide - percent of population

[Bernard]

I can't seem to find any information on the rates of epilepsy for different parts of the world. Does anyone have a source for this information? I tried once contacting the World Health Organization (WHO), but they were not very helpful. I wasn't able to find much useful in their online database either.

My interest was piqued by this news article (emphasis mine):

Poor diet, lack of exercise and an increase in alcohol abuse has led to steep rises in those suffering from lifestyle diseases in the past five years, according to official figures published yesterday.

Levels of diabetes have more than doubled in that period, showed figures released by the Information Centre, a body responsible for NHS data. While the number of people with high blood pressure has risen by more than a third in five years — one in nine people now seeing their GP is suffering from high blood pressure.

The number of people with epilepsy increased by 15.6 per cent and those with heart disease by 6.2 per cent.

Figures show steep rise in 'lifestyle diseases'



15.6% increase in epilepsy in the UK? That's amazing. I'd really like to see a comparison of rates of epilepsy worldwide to see (well get an idea of anyway) just how much influence regional diets may have.

 

[RobinN]

I would too Bernard.
I keep picturing a stack of blocks, and a few are no problem, but stack one too many or be too hasty and they come crashing down.
Look at the number of children now on inhalers for allergy disorders. Frightening.

 

[brain]

Bernard -

I think I still have the link in myspace.com
bulletin - I will try to see if I can backtrack
it down for you, I think it came from a
NES article or the Epilepsy Australia - I
didn't bookmark it - Sorry!

 

[brain]

Bernard:

Here it is from the United Kingdom Public Health Book: someone could have taken it out of context

United Kingdom Public Health Book

 

[Bernard]

I appreciate the effort brain, but I'm not sure what I'm looking at in your link. What I was hopeing to find was the % of population with epilepsy by country from around the world.

 

[brain]

It could have been a journalist's typo
or error. But I've checked myspace
bulletins and now finding out they've
trimmed back just how far back you
can go now ... so it's gone!



But if it was THAT BIG of a news, it
would have been on other "BIG" places
like Epilepsy.com, Neurology, etc ...

I haven't been able to locate it either,
give or take a few margins.

 

[RobinN]

Have you been able to find any more information on this Bernard?

 

[Bernard]

No. I gave up looking after several hours (which is usually sufficient for me to find anything - if it exists on the net). I also tried emailing the WHO and others with no success.

 

[KAM]

International Stats

This is all I could find, it is % by country in 2004:

Main Page:
http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/epilepsy/en/

Specific page:
http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/Epilepsy in WPR.pdf

If you look at page twenty of sixty-nine, the comparisons by country will begin. Did you already see this?

 

[brain]

From Brain's calculation / formula calculation

The troubling factor is, the THIRD WORLD
COUNTRIES, where Epilepsy is being untreated
and cannot or is not being accounted for.

There are more than 3+ million in United
States, and 2+ Million in Canada & its Territories
making it 5+ million in the North America who
have Epilepsy.

Does not indicate the specifics at all - instead
it is all lumped up together - abuse, TBI, birth
defects, DNA / Genetic Disorders - Traits, MVA,
etc. There is no data of the specific break down
at all; like the FBI does on the specifics on crime.

I believe what UK had done was after browsing
around Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Canada,
USA, Australia & New Zealand, etc - I believe
what they did was what I posted above ...
They lumped it all together.

It is possible that "they could have even threw
in a margin of error" for the Third World Countries
not giving accountability due to the percentage
and risk factor.

So when I looked at it, I perceive the percentage
is actually WRONG, and I believe the article was
poorly written and wasn't to imply the UK alone
but worldwide.

I had tried my calculation and formulary calculation
and I actually came up .. a shocking
22.34% (giving a 4.2% margin of error for Third
World Countries with no accountability with
high risk factors) INCREASE!



But that was just MY calculation .. considering
these formulas I was looking at:

Criminal Stats which leads to TBI which can lead
to Epilepsy - MVA, Drunk Driving, Serious Domestic
Abuse (Adults & Children), Upper Body Trauma,
etc .. deducting 11% off, considering not all of
them resulting Head Trauma - some were deaths,
some victims were fine, etc and it left with 7%
at the end of all of this.

And I added 4.5% back on to it because there
are a lot of Domestic Violence & Abuse that are
not reported AND INCLUDING ... EMPLOYMENT
INJURIES which includes Head Injuries where I
am not able to find nor locate any information
but I know they're out there, and I know such
exists!

It also includes the War Vets with Head Injuries
who have sustained Epilepsy in result from Iraq.

Same way with MVA - there are Hospitals that
do not bother to report such extreme injuries
like they are supposed to.

That is just for an example for United States.


------------------------------------------

Sorry it took me awhile to come up with my
own calculations since the last post.

But if one were to question me the majority of
the whole issue BASED ON WHAT?

I would have to state the whole issue primarily
would be:

1) Abuse of illegal substance - drugs, or a mix
of drugs and alcohol

2) MVA with or without Drunk Driving

3) Domestic Abuse / Violence - Reported & Un-
reported.

4) Failure of Hospitals to report as required

==================

We already know such reports on the proper
end are being documented properly:

1) Birth Defects, Genetic Traits - Disorders, etc

2) Heritage - Family History

3) Hospitals & Doctors who are in compliant

and so on from there.

 

[Bernard]

Thanks brain & KAM.

KAM's second link contained a table that was exactly what I was looking for (though not as complete or up to date as I would like - still, better than nothing!).

The data is not uniform enough in its composition to really draw any conclusions, but there is enough variance to suggest that cultural/dietary/environmental factors might be playing a role in the rates of incidence IMO.

 

[KAM]

I found this on the web, it's actually on WHO's site, more up to date (2005) and many more countries in the study, the graphs start on page twenty-three of the pdf and on page 92 it lists the countries responding. http://www.who.int/mental_health/neurology/Epilepsy_atlas_r1.pdf

 

[Bernard]

Estimating risk for developing epilepsy
A population-based study in Rochester, Minnesota

D.C. Hesdorffer, PhD, G. Logroscino, MD, E.K.T. Benn, MPH, N. Katri, G. Cascino, MD and W.A. Hauser, MD

...
Conclusions: One in 26 people will develop epilepsy during their lifetime. Lifetime risk provides an estimate of an individual's risk for epilepsy over his or her remaining lifetime, translates into the number of people who are expected to develop epilepsy, and assists health care planners as they estimate service needs for epilepsy.

http://www.neurology.org/content/76/1/23.abstract

Related:

...
Over the years, the lifetime risk increased from 3.5 percent in the 1960-1969 time frame to 4.2 percent for 1970 to 1979, the researchers found.
...

http://news.yahoo.com/epilepsy-found-more-common-u-thought-20101227-130405-669.html

 

[Endless]

:twocents: I think there is a lot of undiagnosed epilepsy. Lets face it, temporal lobe epilepsy has some very strange types of seizures. Things that most people, in fact most doctors, don't even know are seizures. They just send people to a neurologist who may or may not know they are seizures (the first two I saw didn't).