[Prevalence, type of epilepsy and use of antiepileptic drugs in primary care].

INTRODUCTION

Epilepsy is a disease with great social and economic impact. The prevalence should be used as the most important basis for planning the secondary and tertiary prevention.

AIMS

To identify patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy in a primary care center and determine the prevalence, demographic characteristics, type of epileptic syndrome and the use of antiepileptic drugs.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study. Included 196 patients with a diagnosis of epilepsy belonging to a primary care center and review the medical history, studying socio-demographic variables and clinical-pharmacological.

RESULTS

The prevalence of epilepsy: 8.4/1000 inhabitants. Mean age: 50.3 years. Sex: 52.6% men.

SCOPE

79.6% urban. Family history of epilepsy: 14.8%. Type of epilepsy: symptomatic focal stroke (14.3%), idiopathic generalized (13.8%), focal cryptogenic (8.7%), not classified (31.1%). Average age at the beginning of seizures: 31.6 years. Neurological and/or psychiatric comorbidity: 62.8%. Last follow-up: 18.9% without antiepileptic treatment, 56.6% monotherapy and 24.5% polytherapy. Seizure-free: 76.5%. Drugs most frequently prescribed: valproic acid, carbamazepine, phenytoin, lamotrigine, levetiracetam. 78.6% without side effects. Exitus: 4.1%.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of patients with epilepsy was 8.4/1000 inhabitants, most frequent etiology the symptomatic focal stroke. More than half of patients suffered neurological and/or psychiatric comorbidity. At the end of follow-up the great majority were seizure-free without adverse effects of the antiepileptic drug treatment.