title: Clinical features of epilepsy at 2 referral hospitals in Northern Iran.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of epilepsy in 2 referral hospitals in northern Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated 300 patients with the confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy referred to the Neurology clinics of 22-Bahman, and 17-Shahrivar Hospitals, Mashad, Iran, from April 2011 to December 2012. We collected and analyzed demographic and disease information.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of patients was 31.5+/-15.3 years. The diagnosis of disease had been made approximately 10 months after the onset of symptoms, and the treatment gap was 28%. The most widely used anticonvulsants were sodium valproate, carbamazepine, and phenobarbital. Generalized seizure was seen in 78%, partial seizure in 22%, and a combination of them in 11% of patients. Tonic-colonic seizure (72%) was the most common type of generalized epilepsy, and secondarily generalized seizure was the most frequent type of partial epilepsy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The epidemiological features of epilepsy in our region with regard to age and gender are the same as other parts of the world. The generalized type is the most common form of epilepsy, with tonic-colonic seizures being the most frequent type in our area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rezaeian Yazdi
authors.forename: Morteza
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazloum Farsi Baf
authors.forename: Atena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Afsari
authors.forename: Afrouz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alipour
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khorashadizadeh
authors.forename: Peyman
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Khajeh Ghiassi
authors.forename: Seyed Mehran
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Homam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006782:Hospitals, Special / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors