Children with epilepsy as adults: outcome after 30 years of follow-up.
The study dealt with a representative sample of the epileptic population in southwestern Finland, followed up prospectively for 23-39 years. At the end of the follow-up period, 55.5% of the original sample, i.e. 63.2% of the subjects who participated in the last follow-up evaluation, or 76.4% of those who were alive at that time, had not had epileptic attacks for at least the previous three years. A total of 60% lived independently; 21% of subjects, on the other hand, were not gainfully employed and lived in institutions. The intermediate group was the smallest (less than 18%); these were receiving a disability pension but had not been institutionalized. A certain polarization thus seemed to take place here: the epileptic patient either lead a normal life or was in institutional care. The intermediate group showed a steady decline in size in the course of the follow-up.
Sillanpää
M
M
Department of Public Health, University of Turku.
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000293:Adolescent; D001290:Attitude; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors