title: Epilepsy prevalence in the 0-17 age group in trabzon, Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epilepsy is a most common serious neurological disorder and is one of the world's most prevalent non-communicable diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of epilepsy in 0-17 year old children in Trabzon, Turkey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional epidemiological investigation was performed in two phases, a screening phase and a confirmation of the diagnosis phase. The gold standard was a clinical investigation and neurological examination. The diagnosis of epilepsy followed clinical guidelines proposed by the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE). The chi-square test was used in analysis of the results and P-value <0.05 was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence per 1000 participants of epilepsy was 8.6 (5.9-11.4; (95%)CI). We detected 37 cases (18 males and 19 females) of epilepsy. The male/female ratio was 0.95. This study showed an increased risk for epilepsy with low socioeconomic level, a history of postpartum seizure, meningitis, head trauma, febrile convulsion and family history of epilepsy. More than one seizure type was present in 15 (40.5%) of epileptic children. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures were determined in 24 patients (64.9%) and absence type in 9 (24.3%). It was found that 25.0% of children with epilepsy had never visited the school at the time the study was performed due to the disease and attendant seizures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of epilepsy in Trabzon is low compared to other parts of Turkey and other developing countries.
authors: Karadeniz Technical University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Public Health, Turkey.
authors: Murat
authors: M
authors: Topbaş
authors: Sükrü
authors: S
authors: Ozgün
authors: Müjgan F
authors: MF
authors: Sönmez
authors: Ayşe
authors: A
authors: Aksoy
authors: Gamze
authors: G
authors: Can
authors: Asuman
authors: A
authors: Yavuzyilmaz
authors: Emine
authors: E
authors: Can
keywords: Epilepsy; Neurological Disorder; Prevalence; Risk Factor
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