Some statistics on 2,810 cases of epilepsy
Feng, Y.K.
Chinese Medical Journal 4(6): 449-456
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0366-6999 PMID: 104836 Document Number: 135732
Epilepsy cases (2810) from 1955-1976 were analyzed statistically. Males comprised 66.5%, females, 33.5%. Of the cases, 28.39% occurred in childhood (0-14 yr age group), 13.27% during adolescence (15-20 yr) and 52.63% in adults (21-50 yr). Cadres comprised 21.13%; children, 20.17%; students, 17.50%; and workmen 15.51%. The duration of illness was 1-10 yr in 49.3% and less than 1 yr in 31%. Eighty-nine percent were idiopathic and 11%, symptomatic. The common causes of symptomatic epilepsy were brain tumor (15.48%), cerebral developmental defect (15.48%), acquired brain trauma, (14.84%), rheumatic heart disease (12.58%), infection and encephalopathy of the brain (10.97%) and cerebral parasitism (10.32%). Generalized epilepsy accounted for 58.8%; minor attack, 4.3%; psychomotor attack, 18.6%; combined attacks 6.0%; focal attack, 8.7%; and vegetative epilepsy, 3.6%. Of the 120 minor cases absence accounted for 68.33%, myoclonia, 17.5% and infantile spasm, 14.17%. Of the 102 vegetative epilepsy cases abdominal epilepsy accounted for 17.65%; epileptic cephalgia, 78.43% and diencephalic epilepsy, 3.92%. Among the 2810 cases 21.5% had normal EEG findings, 36.5% mild abnormality, 31.9% moderate abnormality and 10.1% high abnormality. The younger the patient and the closer the tracing made to the last attack, the higher the incidence of paroxysmal specific abnormality.