title: [Prevalence, type of epilepsy and use of antiepileptic drugs in primary care].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epilepsy is a disease with great social and economic impact. The prevalence should be used as the most important basis for planning the secondary and tertiary prevention.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy in a primary care center and determine the prevalence, demographic characteristics, type of epileptic syndrome and the use of antiepileptic drugs.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study. Included 196 patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy belonging to a primary care center and review the medical history, studying socio-demographic variables and clinical-pharmacological.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of epilepsy: 8.4/1000 inhabitants. Mean age: 50.3 years. Sex: 52.6% men.
  
  
  METHODS
  79.6% urban. Family history of epilepsy: 14.8%. Type of epilepsy: symptomatic focal stroke (14.3%), idiopathic generalized (13.8%), focal cryptogenic (8.7%), not classified (31.1%). Average age at the beginning of seizures: 31.6 years. Neurological and/or psychiatric comorbidity: 62.8%. Last follow-up: 18.9% without antiepileptic treatment, 56.6% monotherapy and 24.5% polytherapy. Seizure-free: 76.5%. Drugs most frequently prescribed: valproic acid, carbamazepine, phenytoin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam. 78.6% without side effects. Exitus: 4.1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The prevalence of patients with epilepsy was 8.4/1000 inhabitants, most frequent etiology the symptomatic focal stroke. More than half of patients suffered neurological and/or psychiatric comorbidity. At the end of follow-up the great majority were seizure-free without adverse effects of the antiepileptic drug treatment.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, 33006 Oviedo, Espana.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernández-Suárez
authors.forename: Rubén
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Villa-Estébanez
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garcia-Martinez
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Fidalgo-González
authors.forename: Ahmad A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Zanabili Al-Sibbai
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Salas-Puig
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants