title: Temporal changes in the incidence of epilepsy in Finland: nationwide study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine possible changes over time in the incidence of epilepsy in different age groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on the nationwide full-refundable antiepileptic drug register and population register, incidence of newly diagnosed epilepsy was measured by granted full-refundable antiepileptic drugs for epilepsy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence was throughout all age groups higher in men than in women. The incidence in the total population had significantly declined in 1986-2002, from 71.6/100,000 to 52.9/100,000. The incidence significantly decreased in children (0.77; 0.71-0.84, p<0.0001) and adults (0.83; 0.77-0.89, p<0.0001) but increased in the elderly (1.18; 1.10-1.26, p<0.0001). The increased incidence in the elderly over the time period was primarily seen in women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of epilepsy has significantly declined in both children and adults with a concurrent increase in the incidence among the elderly. Further studies are needed to elucidate the precise cause of these temporal changes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. matti.sillanpaa@utu.fi
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sillanpää
authors.forename: Reetta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kälviäinen
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Klaukka
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Helenius
authors.forename: Shlomo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shinnar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants