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Previous Volume 334:168-175 January 18, 1996 Number 3 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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At a conservative estimate, 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy. The annual incidence ranges from 20 to 70 cases per 100,000¹ and the point prevalence is 0.4 to 0.8 percent.² The incidence rates are highest in childhood, plateau from the age of 15 to 65 years, and rise again among the elderly. Overall, 5 percent of persons report a seizure at some time in their lives. This figure excludes febrile convulsions, which occur in approximately 5 percent of children. These data suggest that there is a substantial rate of remission, even among persons who never receive treatment with an antiepileptic . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Classification of Seizures and Epileptic Syndromes

Indications for Treatment

Choice of Drug

Carbamazepine

Phenytoin

Valproic Acid

Phenobarbital

Primidone

Ethosuximide

Clonazepam

Treatment of Refractory Epilepsy

Drug Monitoring

Drug Treatment during Pregnancy

Discontinuing Therapy

Referral to an Epilepsy Center

Conclusions

Source Information

From the Epilepsy Research Unit, University Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Western Infirmary, Glasgow, Scotland (M.J.B.), and the Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia (M.A.D.).

Address reprint requests to Dr. Brodie at the Epilepsy Research Unit, Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Western Infirmary, Glasgow G11 6NT, Scotland.

References

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