title: The incidence of injuries in persons with and without epilepsy--a population-based study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the 1-year population-based incidence and types of injuries in persons with and without epilepsy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three administrative databases (inpatient visits, physician claims, and emergency room visits) were linked from fiscal years 1996-2003 using a provincial insurance plan registry, which captures 99% of a population of 1.4 million in a large Canadian health region. Epilepsy cases (all age groups) from fiscal year 1996-2002 were identified. Three people without epilepsy were matched to one person with epilepsy for age (±1 year) and sex. Injuries were defined as any of 16 types of injuries for which medical attention was sought that occurred within fiscal year 2003.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight thousand eight hundred ninety subjects with epilepsy were identified and matched to 26,670 controls for age and sex. The mean age was 37.4 years (range 0.01-96.4 years), and 51.3% of subjects were male. The 1-year incidence of one or more injuries was 20.6% among persons with epilepsy and 16.1% among those without epilepsy (p < 0.001). Of the 16 types of injuries studied, 11 were higher in persons with epilepsy compared to those without epilepsy, and included fractures, crushing injuries, intracranial injuries, other types of head injuries, and multiple injuries. The difference was still significant after adjusting for age, gender, and comorbidities.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The 1-year incidence of injuries in this study was greater in persons with epilepsy compared to those without epilepsy, for nearly all injury types. Injury prevention should be discussed during routine visits in persons with epilepsy.
authors: Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
authors: Churl-Su
authors: CS
authors: Kwon
authors: Mingfu
authors: M
authors: Liu
authors: Hude
authors: H
authors: Quan
authors: Samuel
authors: S
authors: Wiebe
authors: Jane
authors: J
authors: McChesney
authors: Elaine
authors: E
authors: Wirrell
authors: Lorie
authors: L
authors: Hamiwka
authors: Nathalie
authors: N
authors: Jetté
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000416:Alberta; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012042:Registries; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult