Period Prevalence of Epilepsy in Children in BC: A Population-Based Study

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Journal Canadien des Sciences Neurologiques
• Main Authors: Schiariti, Veronica, Farrell, Kevin, Houbé, Jill S., Lisonkova, Sarka
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2009
• Subjects: British Columbia; Canada; First Nations
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0317167100006284; https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0317167100006284

Background: Most estimates of the prevalence of seizure disorders in Canada derive from national surveys which differ in sampling and case-finding methods. This study used health care utilization data to make a population-based estimate of the prevalence of epileptic seizures and of epilepsy in children in British Columbia (BC). Methods: All BC residents between 0-19 years-of-age in 2002-3 enrolled in the Medical Services Plan were included. Epileptic seizures were defined using ICD-9 codes; health care utilization data was obtained from BC Linked Health Database. The period prevalence of epileptic seizures and of epilepsy was determined by age, urban/rural region and socioeconomic status. Results: 8,125 of 1,013,816 children were identified as having an epileptic seizure of which 5,621 were classified as epilepsy - 5.5 per 1,000 children (95% CI: 5.4-5.7). The prevalence of epilepsy in infants and preschoolers was higher than that reported in the literature. A higher prevalence of epilepsy was observed also among those with low socioeconomic status. A higher prevalence of epilepsy was observed in those health regions with a higher proportion of First Nations and a lower prevalence was observed in health regions with a higher proportion of visible minorities. Conclusions: Age-specific prevalence rates in BC children for epilepsy, determined from population-based administrative records, were similar to published data except in children under five years. We found a gradient of increased prevalence with decreased level of income. Prevalence rates based on utilization data have the potential to guide program planning for children with epileptic seizures.