Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Jun 1996
ReviewDescriptive epidemiology of epilepsy: contributions of population-based studies from Rochester, Minnesota.
Studies based on the Rochester Epidemiology Project medical records-linkage system have provided important insights into the epidemiology of epilepsy. The incidence of all convulsive disorders in Rochester, Minnesota, during a 50-year period exceeded 130 per 100,000 person-years. The age-adjusted incidence of epilepsy was 44 per 100,000 person-years; of a first unprovoked seizure, 61; and of acute symptomatic seizures excluding febrile convulsions, 31. ⋯ Prevalence was low in the first decade of life, increased to a plateau in the adult years, and further increased in the elderly population. Almost 1.5% of the population older than 75 years of age had active epilepsy. About 25% of prevalence cases had an identified cause; 60% experienced partial epilepsy.