title: Spectrum of epilepsy - prevalence, impact, and treatment gap: an epidemiological study from Al-Quseir, Egypt.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epidemiology continues to be an important research tool in the study of epilepsy and related disorders, providing a better understanding of the frequency, causes, and natural history of the disorder.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of epilepsy in Al-Quseir, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt, and its magnitude of treatment gap.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was part of a door-to-door study, including every door, to screen all inhabitants in Al-Quseir (33,818 inhabitants) by three specialists of neurology and 15 female social workers (for demographic data collection) using a standardized screening questionnaire. All suspected cases were subjected to detailed history, clinical examination, and electroencephalogram. Neuroimaging studies and estimation of serum drug level were done in select cases if needed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study revealed that the lifetime prevalence rate of epilepsy in Al-Quseir is 5.5/1,000, with the highest peak during early childhood, while that of active epilepsy is 3.3/1,000 population. The annual incidence rate is 48/100,000, and the age-specific incidence rate has a U-shaped pattern with two peaks of incidence in early infancy and elderly life. Localization-related epilepsy is the most frequently encountered type (58.8%). The treatment gap of epilepsy in Al-Quseir is 83.8%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The lifetime prevalence of epilepsy in Al-Quseir city, Red Sea Governorate, was 5.5/1000.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hamdy N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: El-Tallawy
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Wafaa M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Farghaly
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Tarek A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Rageh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ghaydaa A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Shehata
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University - Assiut Branch, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nabil A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Metwally
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Reda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Badry
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohammed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sayed
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University - Assiut Branch, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmed M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Abdelwarith
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mahmoud R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Kandil
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hamed
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Khaled O
authors.initials: KO
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Amal M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Tohamy
keywords: Al-Quseir; Egypt; epidemiology; epilepsy; treatment gap