Su Zhenjin, Lu Jie, Shi Yuheng, Qi Bin, Guo Zeshang
Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Department of Pediatric, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
Ann Med. 2025 Dec;57(1):2534087. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2025.2534087. Epub 2025 Jul 17.
Epilepsy is a prevalent central nervous system disorder, affecting over 70 million people globally. It ranks fifth among neurological disorders in terms of disease burden. Epilepsy exhibits peak incidence in both childhood and older age, leading to a significant disease burden. This study aims to assess the burden of epilepsy in children and adolescents, analyze its key contributing factors, and identify strategies to mitigate the disease burden.
The disease burden of childhood and adolescent epilepsy was analyzed across spatial, temporal, and population levels using data from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study.
In 2021, over 8 million children and adolescents worldwide were living with epilepsy. The disease burden in this population is greater in males than in females, with morbidity primarily concentrated in children under 5 years of age and mortality predominantly occurring in adolescents aged 15-19. The current disease burden is strongly correlated with population and epidemiological factors, and while incidence and prevalence are projected to rise, both mortality and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) are expected to decrease.
This study highlights the global changes in the disease burden of epilepsy in children and adolescents. Population factors have been identified as the primary drivers of the increasing burden, while improvements in public health policies and access to treatments have contributed to the decreasing burden. Despite the expected rise in the future incidence, targeted improvements in treatment accessibility and health budget allocations are essential to reduce the long-term burden of epilepsy.
癫痫是一种常见的中枢神经系统疾病，全球有超过7000万人受其影响。就疾病负担而言，它在神经系统疾病中排名第五。癫痫在儿童期和老年期发病率最高，导致了巨大的疾病负担。本研究旨在评估儿童和青少年癫痫的负担，分析其主要影响因素，并确定减轻疾病负担的策略。
利用《2021年全球疾病负担研究》的数据，从空间、时间和人群层面分析了儿童和青少年癫痫的疾病负担。
2021年，全球有超过800万儿童和青少年患有癫痫。该人群的疾病负担男性高于女性，发病率主要集中在5岁以下儿童，死亡率主要发生在15 - 19岁的青少年。当前的疾病负担与人口和流行病学因素密切相关，虽然发病率和患病率预计会上升，但死亡率和伤残调整生命年（DALYs）预计会下降。
本研究突出了儿童和青少年癫痫疾病负担的全球变化。人口因素已被确定为负担增加的主要驱动因素，而公共卫生政策的改善和治疗可及性的提高有助于减轻负担。尽管预计未来发病率会上升，但有针对性地改善治疗可及性和卫生预算分配对于减轻癫痫的长期负担至关重要。
