Prevalence of epilepsy in Bursa city center, an urban area of Turkey.

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of epilepsy in the central district of Bursa, located in the western part of Turkey. The method used in this study was determined according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) on prevalence research in developing countries.

METHODS

In total, 2116 individuals were interviewed between September 1, 2004, and February 1, 2005. The sample group was selected from people living in the central district of Bursa, according to the stratified sampling method with regard to socioeconomic class, age, and sex. Neurology residents using standard questionnaires and semistructured interviews carried out face-to-face interviews.

RESULTS

Of the 199 presumptive cases detected in the initial interview, 26 (11 female, 15 male subjects) received the diagnosis of epilepsy on the day of assessment. Prevalence of active epilepsy was 8.5 per 1000, and lifetime prevalence was 12.2 per 1000 in the central district of Bursa. Classification of the epileptic seizures revealed that 30.7% of the patients had partial and 65.3% had generalized seizures; seizures could not be classified in 3.8%. The seizures had begun during the first decade of life in 50% of the cases, and 34.6% have been using regular medications.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence studies in our country are scarce; thus further research including different regions and multiple centers is needed. Addition of questions suitable to the Turkish social structure to the standard questions determined by WHO may be beneficial for practitioners in considering the diagnosis of epilepsy and referring these patients to specialized centers.