title: Prevalence and risk factors of epilepsy among school children in Kayseri City Center, an urban area in Central Anatolia, Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of epilepsy in schoolchildren aged 7-17 in the province of Kayseri together with the accompanying risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten thousand individuals selected using the "stratified cluster sampling method" from a total population of 259,428 students within the borders of Kayseri city center constituted the study sample. A questionnaire was prepared in line with the epidemiological studies protocol recommended by the International Epilepsy Union Epidemiology and Prognosis Committee in 1993. Data were analyzed on IBM SPSS Statistics 20. Significance was set at p<0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 15,000 questionnaires distributed, 72% (n=10,742) were returned fully completed. Eighty-three students had been or were still being monitored with a diagnosis of epilepsy. The raw prevalence of epilepsy was 6/1000 in females, 9/1000 in males and 8/1000 in both groups together. Prevalence of active epilepsy was 4/1000 in females, 7/1000 in males and 6/1000 in both groups together. Premature birth increased the risk of epilepsy 2.6 times, and average and poor family income levels increased the risk of epilepsy 3.3 and 1.6 times, respectively. A history of febrile convulsion increased the risk of epilepsy 15.1 times.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of epilepsy in the 7-17 age group in Kayseri is closer to that in developed rather than developing countries. We conclude that the risk factors for epilepsy, and particularly febrile convulsion, and the true prevalence rates need to be determined through studies involving wide socioeconomic strata.
authors.affiliation: Erciyes University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Talas, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Canpolat
authors.affiliation: Erciyes University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Talas, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sefer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumandas
authors.affiliation: Erciyes University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Talas, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hatice Gamze
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Poyrazoglu
authors.affiliation: Erciyes University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Talas, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hakan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gumus
authors.affiliation: Erciyes University Medical School, Department of Biostatistics, Talas, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ferhan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Elmali
authors.affiliation: Erciyes University Medical School, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Neurology, Talas, Kayseri, Turkey. Electronic address: huseyinper@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Huseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Per
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012574:Schools; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology; D014505:Urban Population; D014888:Wechsler Scales
keywords: Child; Epilepsy; Kayseri; Prevalence; Turkey