Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-x4r87 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T21:49:28.185Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Burden of Seizures in Manitoba Children: A Population-Based Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2014

Anita L. Kozyrskyj  and
Asuri N. Prasad
Anita L. Kozyrskyj
Affiliation:
Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences and the Section of Neurosciences, Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB Canada
Asuri N. Prasad
Affiliation:
Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Department of Community Health Sciences and the Section of Neurosciences, Department of Pediatrics in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB Canada
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Background:

Population-based studies are necessary to better understand the risk factors for developing seizure disorders and the impact of these conditions on children. We undertook an assessment of the prevalence of seizure disorders in a population of children on the basis of health care utilization records.

Methods:

Using Manitoba’s population-based prescription and health care data for 1998/99, the prevalence of children with seizure disorders, on the basis of at least one physician visit or hospitalization for epilepsy or a prescription for an antiepileptic drug, was determined by age, urban/rural region and socioeconomic status. The latter was measured as neighbourhoods stratified by income quintiles according to Census data.

Results:

Age-specific prevalence rates for seizure disorders in Manitoba children, determined from health care administrative records, were similar to published data on the prevalence of epilepsy, with one exception. Prevalence rates in adolescents were higher than those reported in the literature. No statistically significant differences in prevalence rates were observed between urban and rural populations. However, a higher prevalence was found among children of all ages living in lower socioeconomic neighbourhoods in urban areas, which presented as a gradient of increased prevalence with decreased levels of income.

Conclusion:

Population-based health care administrative data can be used to describe the geographical distribution of seizure disorders. Our data suggest that the burden of seizure disorders is not evenly distributed among children.

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , February 2004 , pp. 48 - 52
Copyright
Copyright © The Canadian Journal of Neurological 2004

References

1.Wiebe, S, Bellhouse, DR, Fallahay, C, Eliasziw, M.Burden of epilepsy: the Ontario Health Survey. Can J Neurol Sci 1999;26(4):263–270.Google Scholar
2.Olafsson, E, Hauser, WA.Prevalence of epilepsy in rural Iceland: a population-based study. Epilepsia 1999;40(11):1529–1534.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Wallace, H, Shorvon, S, Tallis, R.Age-specific incidence and prevalence rates of treated epilepsy in an unselected population of 2,052,922 and age-specific fertility rates of women with epilepsy. Lancet 1998;352(9145):1970–1973.Google Scholar
4.Cowan, LD, Leviton, A, Bodensteiner, JB, Doherty, L.Problems in estimating the prevalence of epilepsy in children: the yield from different sources of information. Paediatr Perinat Epidemiol 1989;3(4):386–401.Google Scholar
5.Heaney, DC, Begley, CE.Economic evaluation of epilepsy treatment: a review of the literature. Epilepsia 2002;43 (Suppl 4):10–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Begley, CE, Beghi, E.The economic cost of epilepsy: a review of the literature. Epilepsia 2002;43 (Suppl 4):3–9.Google Scholar
7.Kozyrskyj, AL, Hildes-Ripstein, GE.Assessing health status in Manitoba children: acute and chronic conditions. Can J Public Health 2002;93 (Suppl 2):S44-S49.Google Scholar
8.Kozyrskyj, AL, Mustard, CA.Validation of an electronic, population-based prescription database. Ann Pharmacother 1998;32(11):1152–1157.Google Scholar
9.Robinson, JR, Young, TK, Roos, LL, Gelskey, DE.Estimating the burden of disease: comparing administrative data and self-reports. Med Care 1997;35:932–947.Google Scholar
10.Kozyrskyj, AL, Mustard, CA, Derksen, S.Considering the Health Care Needs of Children Living in Households Receiving Income Assistance in Manitoba. Winnipeg: Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation; 2000.Google Scholar
11.Statistics Canada. Health Division. National Population Health Survey, 1994-95 public use microdata files. Ottawa: Statistics Canada Health Statistics Division; 1996.Google Scholar
12.Mustard, CA, Derksen, S, Berthelot, JM, Wolfson, M, Roos, LL.Age-specific education and income gradients in morbidity and mortality in a Canadian province. Soc Sci Med 1997;45(3):383–397.Google Scholar
13.Mustard, CA, Derksen, S, Berthelot, JM, Wolfson, M.Assessing ecologic proxies for household income: a comparison of household and neighbourhood level income measures in the study of population health status. Health Place 1999;5(2):157–171.Google Scholar
14.Wilkins, R.Use of postal codes and addresses in the analysis of health data. Health Rep 1993;5(2):157–177.Google Scholar
15.Heaney, DC, MacDonald, BK, Everitt, A, et al. Socioeconomic variation in incidence of epilepsy: prospective community based study in south east England. Br Med J 2002: 325:1013–1016.Google Scholar
16.Khaled, A, Ahmad, F, Brogan, T, et al. Prescription medicine use by one million Canadian children. Paediatr Child Health 2003 Suppl;8:43A-45A.Google Scholar
17.Cowan, LD, Bodensteiner, JB, Leviton, A, Doherty, L.Prevalence of the epilepsies in children and adolescents. Epilepsia 1989;30(1):94–106.Google Scholar
18.Hauser, WA, Annegers, JF, Rocca, WA.Descriptive epidemiology of epilepsy: contributions of population-based studies from Rochester, Minnesota. Mayo Clin Proc 1996:71:576–586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Nelson, KB, Ellenberg, JH.Antecedents of seizure disorders in early childhood. Am J Dis Child 1986;140(10):1053–1061.Google Scholar
20.Nelson, KB, Ellenberg, JH.Predisposing and causative factors in childhood epilepsy. Epilepsia 1987;28 (Suppl 1):S16-S24.Google Scholar
21.Ottman, R, Annegers, JF, Risch, N, Hauser, WA, Susser, M.Relations of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of epilepsy. Ann Neurol 1996;39(4):442–449.Google Scholar
22.Kozyrskyj, AL, Mustard, CA, Simons, FE.Socioeconomic status, drug insurance benefits, and new prescriptions for inhaled corticosteroids in schoolchildren with asthma. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2001;155(11):1219–1224.Google Scholar