title: Prevalence and clinical characteristics of active epilepsy in southern Han Chinese.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence and clinical characteristics of active epilepsy in southern Han Chinese.
  
  
  METHODS
  A door-to-door survey about epilepsy was conducted in communities identified by random cluster sampling among 20 villages and 3 communities of Yueyang city. A questionnaire for epilepsy based on the World Health Organization screening questionnaire was used. A final diagnosis of epilepsy was made by neurology specialists with the support of head magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and electroencephalography (EEG) if available. The prevalence, clinical characteristics, and treatment gap were analyzed in patients with active epilepsy within the past year and the past 5 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Active epilepsy was identified in 91 patients within the past year and 117 patients within the past 5 years. The one-year prevalence was 2.8‰, and the five-year prevalence was 3.7‰. The prevalence for epilepsy active within the last year and the last five years was significantly higher in rural areas than in urban areas (P<0.05). Secondary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (53.8%) were the most common seizure type in patients whose epilepsy had been active in the last year. 34.1% of patients were diagnosed with structural or metabolic epilepsy. The most common cause for epilepsy was cerebrovascular disease (32.3%), followed by traumatic brain injury (29.0%). The treatment gap was 93.4%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of epilepsy active within the last one and five years was higher in rural areas than in urban areas of Yueyang city. A large treatment gap exists in this area and a rational intervention strategy is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yueyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Yueyang 414005, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Xiaorong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Pi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Luo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China. Electronic address: lazroy@live.cn.
authors.forename: Aizhong
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Hunan Children Hospital, Changsha 410007, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yueyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Yueyang 414005, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yueyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Yueyang 414005, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Bofu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yuehua Hospital, Yueyang 414014, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Chaoqun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yueyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Yueyang 414005, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Caiyun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yueyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Yueyang 414005, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Tianbin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yueyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Yueyang 414005, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yueyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Yueyang 414005, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Chunmei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Yueyang No. 1 People's Hospital, Yueyang 414005, Hunan, China.
authors.forename: Luoqing
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurological Surgery, Xicheng District, Beijing 100037, China.
authors.forename: Shichuo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurological Surgery, Xicheng District, Beijing 100037, China.
authors.forename: Jianzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, Hunan, China. Electronic address: xiaobo62_xy@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Active epilepsy; Clinical characteristics; Prevalence; Treatment gap