Epidemiology of New Onset Seizures and Epilepsy Cases: A Prospective Cohort Study

Abstract Introduction Incidence is the number of new epilepsy cases occurring during a given time interval, usually in 1 year, in a specified population. Most incidence studies of epilepsy are from developed countries with a rate of 40 to 70 per 100,000 population. Aims We conducted this survey to study incidence of all new onset unprovoked in rural and semiurban areas of the Uttarakhand State. This study is conducted on more than 100,000 of population with longitudinal follow-up of 3 years. Methods This was a community-based, longitudinal, observational study in two blocks of Dehradun district of Uttarakhand state. Total population of approximately 100,000 from two blocks will be surveyed (50,000 in each block). This door-to-door survey was conducted annually for 3 years duration from May 2014 to April 2017. The initial data were collected on National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) questionnaire by door-to-door survey. Results After longitudinal follow-up for 3 years of 103,610 of population in two blocks of Uttarakhand state, we found age-adjusted prevalence rate of unprovoked seizures to the tune of 623.63 cases per 100,000 of population. Age-adjusted incidence rate of epilepsy was 38.28 per 100,000 population and annual incidence of acute symptomatic seizures was 14.79 per 100,000 of population. Overall annual incidence rate of all afebrile seizures was 51.63 per of 100,000 people. Among all sociodemographic factors, age, poverty, diet, and hygiene were significantly associated with seizures. Conclusion Age-adjusted incidence rate of unprovoked seizure in Uttarakhand state was 38.28 per 100,000 people. Diet and hygiene were significant risk factors for seizures.