[Epidemiology of epilepsy in Spain and Latin America]

The connection between Spain and Latin America on the cultural, ethnic and commercial levels has been very important over the last five centuries, and this accounts for the existence of a common identity that can condition the epidemiology of chronic diseases with genetic and environmental determinants, such as epilepsy. In the last 15 years significant changes have come about in the economic development and the healthcare conditions in these countries as well as the migratory flows among them that may have brought about changes in the previous epidemiological situation. We present an exhaustive review of the epidemiological studies describing the status of epilepsy in Spain and Latin America.

A bibliographic search was conducted of descriptive epidemiology studies about epilepsy in Spain and in each of the countries of Latin America. The methodology and quality of each study are reviewed and data on prevalence and incidence are extracted for each country. A total of 796 studies are evaluated, of which 55 (48 on prevalence and seven on incidence) meet eligibility criteria.

There is no evidence of a variation in the epidemiological situation of epilepsy in Latin America. Some prevalence and incidence rates are still higher than in western countries. This difference is especially apparent in countries where cysticercosis is endemic and is inversely proportional to the wealth of the country, measured by the per capita gross domestic product. There is no evidence of any change in the epidemiology of epilepsy in Spain despite the migratory flows of countries with a high prevalence of epilepsy in recent years.