Prevalence of epilepsy amongst adolescents in Huesca, Spain: a community-based study.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this work was to investigate the prevalence of epilepsy in adolescence in the province of Huesca, a region situated in the north of Spain, and to compare the findings with other studies.


METHODS
All patients aged 10-19 with epilepsy on January 2003 residing in this area, were identified from multiple sources. We followed the guidelines of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) for epidemiological studies. Collected data were examined by experts in the field of epilepsy, and all the patients were reevaluated using a diagnostic questionnaire. We identified the type of epilepsy, age at onset, duration, etiological agents and development.


RESULTS
One hundred twenty-two cases of active epilepsy were found, and 23 in remission. The prevalence for active epilepsy was 6.3/1000 (95% CI 5.2-7.4); slightly higher in women and the 15-19 age group. We observed a predominance of generalized seizures. The age of onset ranged from 7 months to 16 years. Duration ranged from 1 to 18 years. Eighty percentage of cases were classified as idiopathic or cryptogenic and 19.7% as symptomatic.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results are comparable with the majority of studies carried out in industrialized countries.
Benavente
I
I
Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Hospital San Jorge, Huesca, Spain. ibenavente@salud.aragon.es
Rubio
E
E
Morales
C
C
Tajada
N
N
Tamargo
P
P
D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D002648:Child; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult