title: An investigation of the characteristics of outpatients with epilepsy and antiepileptic drug utilization in a multicenter cross-sectional study in China.
abstract: This study aimed to describe the distribution of seizure types, clinical characteristics, and antiepileptic drug (AED) utilization in patients with epilepsy visiting tertiary hospitals in China.
  
  
  
  This was an observational, cross-sectional epidemiology study conducted at 11 tertiary hospitals across China from May 2014 to November 2014. A total of 1603 patients, of either sex or any age with confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy, visiting outpatient clinics at tertiary hospitals were screened and enrolled. Demographics, seizure types, frequency, etiologies, comorbidities, and current AED therapy were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
  
  
  
  Overall, the majority (n=1201; 74.9%) of patients were adults (16-59years of age), and the mean (SD) age was 27.5 (15.9) years. A total of 989 (61.7%) patients had partial seizures, and 653 (40.7%) had generalized seizures. The majority experienced monthly (n=663) or yearly (n=625) seizures, with 2.7seizures/month or 2.9seizures/year, respectively. The most commonly reported symptomatic etiologies were traumatic brain injury, encephalitis, and stroke, whereas the most common comorbidities were sleep disorder, headache, anxiety, and depression. Overall, monotherapy was used in 54.1% of patients, while 30.6% of patients used dual therapy. The most commonly prescribed monotherapy for patients with partial seizures was oxcarbazepine (25.9%), while that for patients with generalized seizures was valproic acid (38.9%), and the most common AED combination was valproic acid and lamotrigine. Overall, valproic acid was the most commonly prescribed AED as monotherapy and combination therapy.
  
  
  
  Findings from this study provide extensive information on clinical characteristics and utilization of AEDs in Chinese patients with epilepsy which may help physicians make well-informed clinical decisions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: tracypmyu@163.com.
authors.forename: Peimin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: zhoudong66@yahoo.de.
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangdong, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: wpliao@163.net.
authors.forename: Weiping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: wang.xin@zs-hospital.sh.cn.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: wangyp01@sina.cn.
authors.forename: Yuping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Neurology, Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Gansu, Lanzhou, China. Electronic address: w_tianch@aliyun.com.
authors.forename: Tiancheng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Provincial Medical College, Nanning, China. Electronic address: 1360771316@126.com.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address: langsy@263.net.
authors.forename: Senyang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital of Jilin University, Jilin, Changchun, China. Electronic address: linweihong321@126.com.
authors.forename: Weihong
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin, China. Electronic address: songyijun2000@126.com.
authors.forename: Yijun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Neurology Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Jiangsu, Suzhou, China. Electronic address: zhao_heqing@163.com.
authors.forename: Heqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: GlaxoSmithKline (China) Investment Co., Ltd, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: sabrina.m.cai@gsk.com.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: hongzhen@medmail.com.cn.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002220:Carbamazepine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004363:Drug Utilization; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine; D062606:Tertiary Care Centers; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014227:Triazines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014635:Valproic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D004338:Drug Combinations; D014227:Triazines; D002220:Carbamazepine; D014635:Valproic Acid; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D000078330:Oxcarbazepine
keywords: Antiepileptic drugs; Cross-sectional survey; Drug utilization; Epidemiology; Observational; Tertiary hospital