Global, regional, and national burden of epilepsy, 1990 - 2016 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016

Ettore Beghi, Giorgia Giussani, Emma Nichols, Foad Abd-Allah, Jemal Abdela, Ahmed Abdelalim, Haftom Niguse Abraha, Mina G. Adib, Sutapa Agrawal, Fares Alahdab, Ashish Awasthi, Yohanes Ayele, Miguel A. Barboza, Abate Bekele Belachew, Belete Biadgo, Ali Bijani, Helen Bitew, Félix Carvalho, Yazan Chaiah, Ahmad DaryaniHuyen Phuc Do, Manisha Dubey, Aman Yesuf Yesuf Endries, Sharareh Eskandarieh, Andre Faro, Farshad Farzadfar, Seyed-Mohammad Fereshtehnejad, Eduarda Fernandes, Daniel Obadare Fijabi, Irina Filip, Florian Fischer, Abadi Kahsu Gebre, Afewerki Gebremeskel Tsadik, Teklu Gebrehiwo Gebremichael, Kebede Embaye Gezae, Maryam Ghasemi-Kasman, Kidu Gidey Weldegwergs, Meaza Girma Degefa, Elena V. Gnedovskaya, Tekleberhan B. Hagos, Arvin Haj-Mirzaian, Arya Haj-Mirzaian, Hamid Yimam Hassen, Simon I. Hay, Mihajlo Jakovljevic, Amir Kasaeian, Tesfaye Dessale Kassa, Yousef Saleh Khader, Ibrahim Khalil, Ejaz Ahmad Khan, Jagdish Khubchandani, Adnan Kisa, Kristopher J. Krohn, Chanda Kulkarni, Yirga Legesse Nirayo, Mark T. Mackay, Marek Majdan, Azeem Majeed, Treh Manhertz, Man Mohan Mehndiratta, Tesfa Mekonen, Hagazi Gebre Meles, Getnet Mengistu, Shafiu Mohammed, Mohsen Naghavi, Ali H. Mokdad, Ghulam Mustafa, Seyed Sina Naghibi Irvani, Long Hoang Nguyen, Molly R. Nixon, Felix Akpojene Ogbo

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651 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Background: Seizures and their consequences contribute to the burden of epilepsy because they can cause health loss (premature mortality and residual disability). Data on the burden of epilepsy are needed for health-care planning and resource allocation. The aim of this study was to quantify health loss due to epilepsy by age, sex, year, and location using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study. Methods: We assessed the burden of epilepsy in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2016. Burden was measured as deaths, prevalence, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; a summary measure of health loss defined by the sum of years of life lost [YLLs] for premature mortality and years lived with disability), by age, sex, year, location, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI; a compound measure of income per capita, education, and fertility). Vital registrations and verbal autopsies provided information about deaths, and data on the prevalence and severity of epilepsy largely came from population representative surveys. All estimates were calculated with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). Interpretation: Despite the decrease in the disease burden from 1990 to 2016, epilepsy is still an important cause of disability and mortality. Standardised collection of data on epilepsy in population representative surveys will strengthen the estimates, particularly in countries for which we currently have no or sparse data and if additional data is collected on severity, causes, and treatment. Sizeable gains in reducing the burden of epilepsy might be expected from improved access to existing treatments in low-income countries and from the development of new effective drugs worldwide.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)357-375
Number of pages19
JournalThe Lancet Neurology
Volume18
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Keywords

  • World health
  • epilepsy
  • health surveys

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