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Facts and Statistics
Facts and Statistics About Epilepsy
Epilepsy General
- Epilepsy is a disease of the brain that affects people of all ages
- A person who has epilepsy has a tendency to have spontaneous, recurrent seizures
- A seizure is a temporary disruption of the electrical activity in the brain which can cause changes in awareness, movement and behaviour.
- An estimated 65 million people worldwide* have epilepsy and 80% of them live in developing countries
- Approximately 1 in every 150 people in Australia are currently living with epilepsy
- Up to 3% to 3.5% of Australians will experience epilepsy at some point in their lives
- While all people with epilepsy experience seizures, not all people who have seizures have epilepsy.
- Some seizures happen as a result of injury or illness. This can include: concussion or a head injury; serious infection, illness or fever; drug overdose or alcohol withdrawal. These seizures do not have the tendency to recur (unless the underlying cause recurs). They are generally considered a “once off” seizure.**
- Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological condition, after migraine, stroke and dementia, making it more common than Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease and cerebral palsy.
Diagnosis and Prognosis
- In Australia, over 13,000 people a year are diagnosed with epilepsy***
- Seizures can begin at any age, but epilepsy is most frequently diagnosed in childhood and people over 65 years of age. Epilepsy and seizures are seen more in the over 65’s than in any other age group.
- At least 15% of people referred to an epilepsy specialist centre do not actually have epilepsy and have been previously misdiagnosed
- Epilepsy is diagnosed if someone has:
- at least two unprovoked (or reflex) seizures
- one unprovoked (or reflex) seizure and a probability of further seizures happening
- diagnosis of an epilepsy syndrome.
- Epilepsy is not necessarily a lifelong disorder.
- Many people have seizures that stop by a certain age, or have a long-term remission from seizures.
- When seizures have not occurred for a long time, epilepsy is considered ‘resolved’. This can be in someone who:
- has an age-dependent epilepsy syndrome and is older than the relevant age
- is seizure-free for 10 years, and not taking anti-seizure medication for the last 5 years.
- Epilepsy is linked with an increased risk of death, up to 2–3 times the general population, which may be related to:
- an underlying brain disease, such as a tumour or infection
- accidents or seizures in dangerous circumstances leading to drowning, burns or head injury
- seizure emergencies – prolonged or cluster seizures
- sudden and unexplained death in epilepsy – SUDEP
- stopping breathing during a seizure
- treatment related death
- suicide.
Types of Seizures
- It is commonly thought that seizures always involves convulsions. In fact, not all seizures involve loss of consciousness and convulsions. Some seizures have more subtle features such as a vacant stare, confusion or unusual repetitive behaviours such as chewing, fidgeting, vocalising or wandering.
- There are multiple different types of epilepsy and epilepsy syndromes, and people can have more than one seizure type.
- Seizures can vary from the briefest lapses of attention, confusion or unusual behaviours, to falls or convulsions
- Seizures can also vary in frequency, some people may have less than 1 per year while others may have several a day
- Not all seizures are epilepsy.
Treatment
- With treatment, 2 in 3 people with epilepsy can be seizure free, meaning 1 in 3 continue to have seizures and are considered to have “drug resistant epilepsy”
- After 2 to 5 years of successful treatment and being seizure-free, medications can be withdrawn in about 70% of children and 60% of adults without later relapse
- A small percentage of people may be suitable for epilepsy surgery
- Over half the number of people who have surgery become seizure free long term. Many others have fewer or less severe seizures after surgery.
- Other treatment options for people who cannot obtain seizure control with medications include
- Vagus Nerve Stimulation, VNS Therapy™
- Dietary therapies – Ketogenic Diet, Modified Atkins Diet
- Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS)
- Laser interstitial thermal therapy (LiTT).
- People with drug resistant epilepsy should seek a referral to a comprehensive epilepsy centre to review their epilepsy as soon as possible to get the best outcome.
- About three quarters of people in developing countries do not get the treatment they need
Lifestyle
- Epilepsy is more than just seizures. Epilepsy can have a significant social and psychological impact and affects independence, driving, learning, employment, relationships, mental health and quality of life
- People with epilepsy often face social stigma, discrimination and exclusion. A fundamental part of reducing this stigma is to raise public and professional awareness.
- People with epilepsy can obtain a driver’s licence if their seizures are controlled by medication or if they fulfil conditions and guidelines set out by the driving authorities.
- Epilepsy is not a mental illness, but people with epilepsy are at higher risk of anxiety and depression.
References:
* Solomon L Moshé, Emilio Perucca, Philippe Ryvlin, Torbjörn Tomson. Epilepsy. The Lancet Published online: September 23, 2014
**Beghi E: The Epidemiology of Epilepsy. Neuroepidemiology 2020;54:185-191. doi: 10.1159/000503831
***WHO Epilepsy. Key Facts. 2019
International League Against Epilepsy 2020
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Australian Burden of Disease Study 2023. Accessed 11 Sept 2024.
England, M. et al. (2012). Summary: a reprint from epilepsy across the spectrum: promoting health and understanding. Epilepsy currents, 12(6), 245–253. https://doi.org/10.5698/1535-7511-12.6.245
Anuradha Singh, Stephen Trevick, The Epidemiology of Global Epilepsy, Neurologic Clinics, Vol 34 Issue 4, 2016, 837-847
