Studies reporting temporal trends in the incidence of epilepsy in children*
| Study type | ‘Epilepsy’ definition | Population | Location | New events in entire population (period) | Evidence of temporal trend | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community-based study using linked records | Medical records indicative of epilepsy | All (45123) residents | Copparo, Northern Italy | 230 (1964–1978) | No. Observed incidence rates did not show a significant temporal trend; however, age-specific rates were not provided | 31 |
| Community-based prospective studies | Initial diagnosis of unprovoked seizures | All (52152) children under 16 in 1974. All (50692) children under 16 in 1987 | Vasterbotten, Northern Sweden | 70 (1973–1974) 75 (1985–1987) | Possibly. In the period 1985–1987, the estimated annual incidence rate (88.8/100000 individuals at risk) was 34% lower than in the period 1973–1974 (134/100000 individuals at risk) | 29 30 |
| Linkage of medical records | Clinical diagnosis of epilepsy | All (245969) residents in 1935–1944 and all (573152) residents in 1975–1984 | Rochester, Minnesota, USA | 94 (1935–1444) 275 (1975–1984) | Yes. Incidence of epilepsy in children under 10 declined by 40% between the periods 1935–1944 (∼140/100000) and 1975–1984 (∼85/100000). There was a downward trend for the first four decades followed by an upward trend in the last decade | 26 28 |
| Review of primary care records | One or more non-febrile seizures | All (6000) adult and child patients from one GP practice | Tonbridge, England | 56 (1974–1983) 39 (1984–1993) | Possibly. Annual first attendance rates in children under 20 years of age declined by 60% (χ2, p<0.001) between 1974–1983 (152.5/100 000 individuals) and 1984–1993 (60.9/100000 individuals) | 2 |
| Study using population registers | AED prescription for epilepsy control | Entire population of ∼5.2 million | Finland | 51767 (1986–2002) | Yes. Incidence in children age 0–15 declined significantly between 1986 and 2002 (RR=0.77, <0.0001) | 11 |
| Population-based primary care study | Single prescription for an AED | All (?) children aged 0–18 registered at GP practices participating in General Practice Research Database | UK | 4839 (1993–2005) | Possibly. Incidence of AED prescription in children declined from ∼88/100000 person-years in 1993 to ∼67/100000 person-years in 2005. It is not clear whether this trend is statistically significant | 12 |
| Study using linked population data | Individuals with epilepsy admitted to hospital | Entire population of 6543342 | Denmark | 88616 (1977–2002) | Yes. The overall incidence rate of epilepsy diagnosis in children <1 year declined between 1995 and 2002 | 10 |
*Data in this table are restricted to studies which investigated temporal trends in the incidence of epilepsy, seizures or antiepileptic drug (AED) prescriptions in children under 18 years of age.
GP, general practitioner.