Prevalence of epilepsy in children of Melipilla, Chile.

The prevalence of epilepsy among children born in 1966 and reaching the age of 9 years during 1975 was investigated in Melipilla, Chile, using questions similar to those used by Rose et al. (1973). Of 2,104 potential respondents, 2,085 were interviewed. A sample of 593 children received neurological examination and 455 received an electroencephalogram. The prevalence rates for epilepsy were higher than those reported in two American studies using the same methodology. The possibility of socioeconomic factors to account for these differences was considered. Prevalence rates for simple febrile convulsions and minimal brain dysfunction were similarly calculated.