Prevalence and risk factors of epilepsy in between the ages of 0-17 years children in Trabzon

Epilepsy is most common serious neurological disorders and is one of the world’s most prevalent noncommunicable diseases. It is estimated that the condition affects approximately 50 million people, around 40 million of them living in developing countries.
The aim of study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of epilepsy in between the 0 – 17 years children in Trabzon.
A cross-sectional epidemiological investigation was performed in two phases, a screening phase and a confirmation of the diagnosis phase. The gold standard was a clinical investigation, neurological examination and electroencephalography. The diagnosis of epilepsy followed clinical guidelines proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). The chi-square test was used in analysis of the results and p- value <0.05 was calculated with 95 % confidence interval.
The prevalence per 1000 participants of epilepsy was 8.6 (5.9 – 11.4  95% CI). We detected 37 cases (18 males and 19 females) of epilepsy. The male / female ratio was 0.95. This study showed an increased risk for epilepsy with low socioeconomic level, a history of postpartum seizure, meningitis, head trauma, febrile convulsion and family history of epilepsy.
This study showed an increased risk for epilepsy with low birth level, not assistance from medical personnel during delivery, a history of postpartum seizure and a family history of epilepsy.

Our epilepsy prevalence is similar to the prevalence in other developing countries.