The incidence of unprovoked seizures and occurrence of neurodevelopmental comorbidities in children at the time of their first epileptic seizure and during the subsequent six months.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence of unprovoked seizures in children and the prevalence of related neurodevelopmental comorbidities at the time of the presumed first seizure and six months thereafter. METHODS: The medical records of all children (0-18 years of age) seeking medical attention as the result of a first unprovoked seizure between September 1, 2001 and December 31, 2006, and registered in the population-based Stockholm Incidence Registry of Epilepsy (SIRE) were reviewed. Neurodevelopmental comorbidities were evaluated on the basis of the medical records from this first visit and from other healthcare during the following six months. RESULTS: The incidence of unprovoked seizures was between 30 and 204/100,000 person years (n=766) in the different age groups. It was highest among the youngest children and lowest among the 18-year-olds with small gender differences. The most common neurodevelopment comorbidities were developmental delay (22%, CI: 19-25%), speech/language and learning difficulties (23%, CI: 20-26%) and intellectual disability (16%, CI: 13-18%). The types of neurodevelopmental comorbidity varied by age at the time of seizure onset, with cerebral palsy being more common among the 0-5-year-olds, attention deficits among the 6-16-year-olds, and autism and psychiatric diagnosis among the older children. An associated neurodevelopmental comorbidity was more common among those experiencing recurrent than single seizures during follow-up six months from the index seizure (42% versus 66%). In 68% (CI: 64-71%) of the children there was no known or suspected neurodevelopmental comorbidity. CONCLUSION: The incidence of unprovoked, non-febrile seizures among 0-18-year-olds included in the SIRE was 67/100,000 person-years. Neurodevelopmental comorbidities were common already at the time of onset of the seizure disorder, indicating that neither seizure treatment nor seizures were the underlying cause of other neurodevelopmental symptoms in these patients during the period studied.

Newly diagnosed single unprovoked seizures and epilepsy in Stockholm, Sweden: First report from the Stockholm Incidence Registry of Epilepsy (SIRE).

PURPOSE: To describe and report initial findings of a system for prospective identification and follow-up of patients with newly diagnosed single unprovoked seizures and epilepsy in Stockholm, Sweden, the Stockholm Incidence Registry of Epilepsy (SIRE). METHODS: From September 2001 through August 2004, a surveillance system has been in use to identify incident cases of first unprovoked seizures (neonatal seizures excluded) and epilepsy among residents of Northern Stockholm, an urban area with approximately 998,500 inhabitants. Potential cases are identified through multiple mechanisms: Network of health care professionals, medical record screening in specific hospital units, including outpatient clinics, emergency room services, and review of requests for electroencephalography (EEG) examination. Potential cases are classified 6 months after the index seizure based on review of medical records. RESULTS: After screening approximately 10,500 EEG requests and 3,300 medical records, 1,015 persons met the criteria for newly diagnosed unprovoked seizures (430 single seizures; 585 epilepsy). The crude incidence for first unprovoked seizures and epilepsy was 33.9/100,000 person years, (the same adjusted to the European Standard Million), highest the first year of life (77.1/100,000) and in the elderly. No cause could be identified in 62.4%. CONCLUSIONS: We have established a sustainable system for prospective identification of new onset epilepsy cases in Stockholm. Despite a possible under-ascertainment, the registry provides a useful starting point for follow-up studies.