Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 1987 Jul;50(7):829-39.
doi: 10.1136/jnnp.50.7.829.

Incidence and prevalence studies in epilepsy and their methodological problems: a review

J W Sander, S D Shorvon
Review

Incidence and prevalence studies in epilepsy and their methodological problems: a review

J W Sander et al. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1987 Jul.

Abstract

Epidemiological studies in epilepsy have a number of specific problems, discussed here with reference to the published literature. Case ascertainment may pose difficulties because of deficiencies in patients reporting and in the diagnosis of seizures, and inherent methodological problems; the classification of epilepsy is often arbitrary and definitions variable; unsuspected selection bias may markedly influence incidence and prevalence rates. The major published incidence and prevalence studies are reviewed and the factors influencing these rates discussed.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Epilepsia. 1968 Jun;9(2):77-85 - PubMed
    1. Epilepsia. 1979 Dec;20(6):613-22 - PubMed
    1. Epilepsia. 1962 Jun;3:175-87 - PubMed
    1. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 1984 Nov;47(11):1157-65 - PubMed
    1. N Engl J Med. 1965 Dec 23;273(26):1410-3 - PubMed