Epilepsy: The Pakistan Perspective some suggestions

Epilepsy is a disease that affects more than 65 million people around the world. In Pakistan prevalence of epilepsy is 9.99/1000 people, thus around 2million people in Pakistan suffering from epilepsy1,2.The prevalence in children is much higher 14.6/10003,4,5.Prof. Charles Newton in the lancet quotes 50,000 deaths from epilepsy annually in the US6. The death rate in the developing countries is much higher. The exact figures are difficult to assess due to lack of epidemiological surveys and incomplete data collection. However it is thought that the number will be greater and considered at least twice to three times the estimated figures7. This is disturbing considering the fact that this is a controllable disorder. Sadly adequate facilities for diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management specifically for epilepsy are virtually nonexistent

Epilepsy in Pakistan: national guidelines for clinicians (part 2)

In 2013 an international taskforce of the ILAE shaped out a communal definition of Epilepsy.(2) This definition is useful for all or most practical purposes, thus more helpful in management. Epilepsy was defined as recurrent unprovoked seizures i.e 2 or more at least 24 hours apart. The revised practical definition implies that Epilepsy can be considered even after a single seizure in individuals who have other factors predictive of a second unprovoked seizure, a risk set at 60%. The factors include the diagnosis of an epilepsy syndrome, structural lesions like stroke, CNS infections, intraparenchymal contusions after trauma, as well as reflex seizures such as photosensitive seizures