title: Estimation of prevalence and incidence of infantile spasms in Taiwan using capture-recapture method.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence, incidence, and case-fatality of infantile spasms (IS) in Taiwan.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective cohort of patients with IS was obtained from one medical center to identify 69 IS cases from 1985 to 1997. This cohort, in conjunction with the claimed data from the National Health Insurance, was used to estimate the prevalence and incidence of IS by capture-recapture design, taking the case-fatality of IS into account.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence rate of IS for aged 0-9 years was 0.046 per thousand. The incidence rate was estimated as 6 over 100,000 per year in Taiwan. Of the 69 IS cases, 8 deaths were ascertained. The case-fatality rate was 11.6%. The leading cause of death was status epilepticus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We have demonstrated an efficient method to estimate the incidence and prevalence rates of IS in Taiwan. Our results help to make a clear understanding of the disease burden of IS in this society.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Pharmacology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, No. 1, Sec 1, Jan-Ai Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chih-Chuan
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ta-Fu
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Haung-Chi
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Pei-Ching
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Oon
authors.forename: Hui-Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Pen-Jung
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tony Hsiu-Hsi
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Horng-Huei
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Liou
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013036:Spasms, Infantile / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology