Seizure disorders are among the most frequently occurring neurologic disorders. Few studies provide comprehensive information on the incidence of the seizures by age, gender, seizure type or epilepsy syndrome, and none incorporate current EEG, CT, and MRI techniques into the diagnostic algorithm. An incidence study of all seizure disorders will be conducted in the island country of Iceland. This country has provided excellent medical care to its citizens at little or no cost for many years, and has an excellent medical record system as well as state of the art equipment for diagnosis and treatment. A comprehensive surveillance network will be established to identify all residents with newly diagnosed seizure disorders over a 4 year period. These cases will provide a comprehensive picture of the occurrence of seizure disorders in the population. Availability of current neurodiagnostic studies on most cases will provide accurate, reliable, and credible population data detailing the descriptive epidemiology of epilepsy. These data will satisfy criticisms of epidemiologic studies of epilepsy leveled by epileptologists and other clinicians. The classical conditions clinically identified as causes of epilepsy (brain trauma, cerebrovascular disease, infection of the central nervous system, tumor, neurologic abnormality from birth manifest by mental retardation or cerebral palsy) can be identified in only about 1/3 of all new cases of epilepsy. Few studies have been conducted on newly diagnosed cases of epilepsy to quantitate risk associated with these factors or to identify other factors which increase the risk for epilepsy. To identify potential risk factors for epilepsy these well characterized incidence cases will be matched to a control group selected from the general population. The study will provide further understanding of the mechanisms associated with established risk factors, allow examination of the role of putative risk factors (e.g., hypertension, depressive illness, alcohol use), and allow exploration of other potential risk factors. Results will lead to new concepts of epileptogensis in humans and to generally applicable interventions, resulting in a reduced frequency of epilepsy and associated neurologic co-morbidity.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01NS032663-04
Application #
2609661
Study Section
Epidemiology and Disease Control Subcommittee 2 (EDC)
Program Officer
Jacobs, Margaret
Project Start
1995-03-01
Project End
1999-11-30
Budget Start
1997-12-01
Budget End
1998-11-30
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Columbia University (N.Y.)
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
167204994
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10032
Hesdorffer, Dale C; Ludvigsson, Petur; Hauser, W Allen et al. (2007) Co-occurrence of major depression or suicide attempt with migraine with aura and risk for unprovoked seizure. Epilepsy Res 75:220-3
Amatniek, Joan C; Hauser, W Allen; DelCastillo-Castaneda, Carrie et al. (2006) Incidence and predictors of seizures in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Epilepsia 47:867-72
Hesdorffer, Dale C; Hauser, W Allen; Olafsson, Elias et al. (2006) Depression and suicide attempt as risk factors for incident unprovoked seizures. Ann Neurol 59:35-41
Ludvigsson, Petur; Hesdorffer, Dale; Olafsson, Elias et al. (2006) Migraine with aura is a risk factor for unprovoked seizures in children. Ann Neurol 59:210-3
Hesdorffer, Dale C; Tian, Hong; Anand, Kishlay et al. (2005) Socioeconomic status is a risk factor for epilepsy in Icelandic adults but not in children. Epilepsia 46:1297-303
Olafsson, Elias; Ludvigsson, Petur; Gudmundsson, Gunnar et al. (2005) Incidence of unprovoked seizures and epilepsy in Iceland and assessment of the epilepsy syndrome classification: a prospective study. Lancet Neurol 4:627-34
Hesdorffer, Dale C; Ludvigsson, Petur; Olafsson, Elias et al. (2004) ADHD as a risk factor for incident unprovoked seizures and epilepsy in children. Arch Gen Psychiatry 61:731-6
Rafnsson, V; Olafsson, E; Hauser, W A et al. (2001) Cause-specific mortality in adults with unprovoked seizures. A population-based incidence cohort study. Neuroepidemiology 20:232-6
Olafsson, E; Gudmundsson, G; Hauser, W A (2000) Risk of epilepsy in long-term survivors of surgery for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage: a population-based study in Iceland. Epilepsia 41:1201-5
Olafsson, E; Benedikz, J; Hauser, W A (1999) Risk of epilepsy in patients with multiple sclerosis: a population-based study in Iceland. Epilepsia 40:745-7

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