EPIDEMIOLOGY OF EPILEPSY IN ADOLESCENTS

Epidemiologic data indicate that epilepsy affects approxi-mately 1 % of the population, or over 2 million Americans. Approximately one third of patients are younger than 18 years of age.1 Direct treatment costs associated with epilepsy are considerable. However, indirect costs such as disabil-ity, psychosocial morbidity, and unemployment account for 85 % of the total costs of managing epilepsy.2 Whether epilepsy is intractable or not, its impact on adolescents is consider-able. Few studies have examined the age-specific incidence of epilepsy among adolescents. Where available, estimates for the incidence of epilepsy in adolescence range from being similar to the incidence for adults, at 20 per 100,000, to 60 per 100,000.3,4 In a primary care setting, when all unprovoked seizures (including the first seizure) are included, an age-specific incidence was 54 per 100,000 in th