Epidemiology of Treated Epilepsy in New Zealand Children: A Focus on Ethnicity.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the period prevalence and incidence of treated epilepsy in a New Zealand (NZ) pediatric cohort with a focus on ethnicity and socioeconomic status. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study. The NZ Pharmaceutical Collection database was searched for individuals (≤18 years) dispensed an antiseizure medication (ASM) in 2015 from areas capturing 48% of the NZ pediatric population. Medical records of identified cases were reviewed to ascertain the indication for the ASM prescription. Population data was derived from the NZ 2013 Census. RESULTS: 3557 ASMs were prescribed during 2015 in 2594 children, of whom 1717 (66%) children had epilepsy. An indication for prescript..