Epilepsy syndromes in Iran: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Epilepsy is a significant neurological disorder with varying prevalence rates globally.
• Understanding the epidemiology of epilepsy in Iran is crucial for public health planning.
• Existing data on epilepsy syndromes in Iran is limited, necessitating a comprehensive review.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on epilepsy epidemiology in Iran.
• To provide analytical estimates for the prevalence of various epilepsy syndromes.
• To identify gaps in current research and recommend future studies.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Scopus, and Embase databases up to July 30, 2020.
• Keywords used: "epilepsy" OR "seizure" AND "Iran."
• Analysis of 17 identified articles, assessing evidence quality and extracting prevalence data for epilepsy and specific syndromes.

Main Results:

• Two population-based studies reported epilepsy prevalence rates of 0.8% and 1.2%.
• Clinic-based studies indicated 20.2% for idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and 5.4% for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.
• Data on focal epilepsy syndromes, except temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), were scarce; TLE prevalence was estimated between 126,000-226,800.

Conclusions:

• The estimated prevalence of active epilepsy in Iran is approximately 1%, affecting about 840,000 people.
• Significant numbers of Iranians suffer from IGEs (approx. 168,000) and TLE.
• There is a critical need for well-designed, population-based epidemiological studies on epilepsy in Iran.