Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27986877›Full record

SynthesisNeurology2017

Prevalence and incidence of epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of international studies.

Kirsten M Fiest, Khara M Sauro, Samuel Wiebe, Scott B Patten, Churl-Su Kwon, Jonathan Dykeman, Tamara Pringsheim, Diane L Lorenzetti, Nathalie Jetté

Erratum issuedAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Neurology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 770 papers, 9 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
770citing papers in PubMed, 9 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

770 citing papers in PubMed, 9 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  13. Article
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  17. Macro-structural brainstem volumetry in generalized epilepsy: assessment of subcortical network involvement.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2026
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710 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Kirsten M FiestFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada.
Khara M SauroFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada.
Samuel WiebeFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada.
Scott B PattenFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada.
Churl-Su KwonFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada.
Jonathan DykemanFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada.
Tamara PringsheimFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada.
Diane L LorenzettiFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada.
Nathalie JettéFrom the Department of Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health (K.M.F., K.M.S., S.W., S.B.P., T.P., D.L.L., N.J.), and the Department of Clinical Neurosciences & Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S., S.W., J.D., T.P., N.J.) and Department of Psychiatry, Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education (S.B.P.), Hotchkiss Brain Institute (K.M.S, S.W., S.B.P., T.P., N.J.), Department of Critical Care Medicine (K.M.F.), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada; Department of Neurosurgery (C.-S.K.), King's College Hospital, London, UK; and Institute of Health Economics (D.L.L.), Edmonton, Canada. Nathalie.jette@ahs.ca.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo review population-based studies of the prevalence and incidence of epilepsy worldwide and use meta-analytic techniques to explore factors that may explain heterogeneity between estimates.

methodsThe Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses standards were followed. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for articles published on the prevalence or incidence of epilepsy since 1985. Abstract, full-text review, and data abstraction were conducted in duplicate. Meta-analyses and meta-regressions were used to explore the association between prevalence or incidence, age group, sex, country level income, and study quality.

resultsA total of 222 studies were included (197 on prevalence, 48 on incidence). The point prevalence of active epilepsy was 6.38 per 1,000 persons (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 5.57-7.30), while the lifetime prevalence was 7.60 per 1,000 persons (95% CI 6.17-9.38). The annual cumulative incidence of epilepsy was 67.77 per 100,000 persons (95% CI 56.69-81.03) while the incidence rate was 61.44 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI 50.75-74.38). The prevalence of epilepsy did not differ by age group, sex, or study quality. The active annual period prevalence, lifetime prevalence, and incidence rate of epilepsy were higher in low to middle income countries. Epilepsies of unknown etiology and those with generalized seizures had the highest prevalence.

conclusionsThis study provides a comprehensive synthesis of the prevalence and incidence of epilepsy from published international studies and offers insight into factors that contribute to heterogeneity between estimates. Significant gaps (e.g., lack of incidence studies, stratification by age groups) were identified. Standardized reporting of future epidemiologic studies of epilepsy is needed.

Indexed as

International CooperationDatabases, BibliographicEpilepsyFemaleHumansIncidenceMalePrevalence

Identifiers

PMID27986877
PMCPMC5272794

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.