title: A longitudinal study of epilepsy in Kolkata, India.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to determine the prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates of epilepsy in the city of Kolkata, India. This is the first such longitudinal study in a heterogeneous urban Indian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A two-stage door-to-door survey of a stratified random sample was undertaken within the municipal limits of Kolkata. Trained field workers detected and interviewed the cases using a simple screening questionnaire, and the detailed follow-up was done by neurologists. The survey was conducted annually for five consecutive years from March 2003 through February 2008.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 52,377 (52.74% men) individuals were screened. There were 309 prevalent and 66 incident cases of active epilepsy. The prevalence and average annual incidence rate (AAIR) with 95% confidence interval (CI), age-standardized to World Standard Population, were 572.8 (509.79-641.54) per 100,000 and 27.27 (21.03-34.80) per 100,000 per year, respectively. The age-specific incidence rates of epilepsy showed bimodal distribution. During the 5-year period, 20 cases of active epilepsy died. The average annual mortality rate (AAMR) was 7.63 (95% CI 4.45-11.26) per 100,000 population per year. Compared to the general population of Kolkata, the all-cause standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for persons with epilepsy was 2.58 overall (men 3.67; women 1.77). There was no significant difference between slum and nonslum dwellers in epidemiologic parameters.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The AAIR of epilepsy is comparable to that observed in developed countries, but AAMR is higher. The all-cause SMR for epilepsy relative to the general population is, however, similar to that of developed nations.
authors.affiliation: National Neurosciences Centre, Kolkata, India.
authors.forename: Tapas Kumar
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Banerjee
authors.forename: Biman Kanti
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.forename: Shyamal Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: Avijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hazra
authors.forename: Malay Kumar
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Ghosal
authors.forename: Arijit
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri
authors.forename: Trishit
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: Deepak Kumar
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Raut
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002947:Cities / Q000453:epidemiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012494:Sampling Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data