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Around 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy. This is about 6 cases per 1000 people (.6%). That means there are 6 million cases in Europe and 2.5 million in the U.S. |
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| Incidence—not just coincidence |
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| We can estimate the rate at which epilepsy occurs in developed countries. This is about 44 cases per year for a population of 100,000. |
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| Age sets the stage |
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| Epilepsy is age related. New cases occur most often in infancy and childhood-or at least by the teen years. Seventy-five percent of people with epilepsy have their first seizure before they turn 18. |
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| What about young and middle-aged adults? They are unlikely to develop epilepsy. But the incidence rises again in people age 60 and older, particularly for those over 70. Currently, more than 600,000 people over 65 have epilepsy. |
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| Epilepsy that starts later in life is more likely to be caused by other conditions. Cerebrovascular disease and stroke can provoke epilepsy in this group. The reported incidence of epilepsy soon after a stroke ranges from 2.7% to 17.0%, while the incidence of seizures (not epilepsy) ranges from 4.4% to 42.8%. Seizures that occur during the early phase of a stroke are related to how severe the stroke is to begin with. Seizures that happen after a stroke do not predict increased mortality. |
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| Incidence of Epilepsy Based on Age |
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| What's the real risk? |
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| Studies have consistently shown that epilepsy is associated with a higher risk of death. However, the risk is highest in people with other related health problems. Examples are cerebral palsy or mental handicap in younger people, and brain tumors and cerebrovascular disease in older people. This means that the increase in mortality is mostly related to the underlying cause rather than the epilepsy itself. |
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| People with epilepsy may be at a risk of a phenomenon called sudden unexplained death in epilepsy patients (SUDEP). |
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