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Published on: July 12, 2021
The burden of seizures in Manitoba children: a population-based study
Anita L Kozyrskyj1, Asuri N Prasad
1Manitoba Centre for Health Policy, Winnipeg, MB Canada.
Insights
Seizure disorders affect children unevenly, with higher prevalence in lower socioeconomic urban neighborhoods. This population-based study highlights disparities in childhood epilepsy risk factors and impact.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Population-based studies are crucial for understanding childhood seizure disorder risk factors.
- Assessing prevalence through healthcare utilization provides insights into the impact of these conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of seizure disorders in children using healthcare administrative data.
- To analyze prevalence based on age, geographic region (urban/rural), and socioeconomic status.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Manitoba's population-based health and prescription data (1998/99).
- Defined seizure disorders by physician visits, hospitalizations for epilepsy, or antiepileptic drug prescriptions.
- Stratified socioeconomic status by neighborhood income quintiles from Census data.
Main Results:
- Prevalence rates in Manitoba children were comparable to existing epilepsy data, except for higher adolescent rates.
- No significant urban-rural differences in prevalence were found.
- A socioeconomic gradient was observed: higher prevalence in children from lower-income urban neighborhoods.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare administrative data effectively map the geographical distribution of childhood seizure disorders.
- The burden of seizure disorders among children is not uniformly distributed across the population.
Background:
Population-based studies are necessary to better understand the risk factors for developing seizure disorders and the impact of these conditions on children. We undertook an assessment of the prevalence of seizure disorders in a population of children on the basis of health care utilization records.
Methods:
Using Manitoba's population-based prescription and health care data for 1998/99, the prevalence of children with seizure disorders, on the basis of at least one physician visit or hospitalization for epilepsy or a prescription for an antiepileptic drug, was determined by age, urban/rural region and socioeconomic status. The latter was measured as neighbourhoods stratified by income quintiles according to Census data.
Results:
Age-specific prevalence rates for seizure disorders in Manitoba children, determined from health care administrative records, were similar to published data on the prevalence of epilepsy, with one exception. Prevalence rates in adolescents were higher than those reported in the literature. No statistically significant differences in prevalence rates were observed between urban and rural populations. However, a higher prevalence was found among children of all ages living in lower socioeconomic neighbourhoods in urban areas, which presented as a gradient of increased prevalence with decreased levels of income.
Conclusions:
Population-based health care administrative data can be used to describe the geographical distribution of seizure disorders. Our data suggest that the burden of seizure disorders is not evenly distributed among children.
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