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A historical perspective on the mortality associated with chronic epilepsy
Author(s) -
O'Donoghue M. F.,
Sander J. W. A. S.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0404.1997.tb00255.x
Subject(s) - epilepsy , epoch (astronomy) , medicine , perspective (graphical) , secular variation , demography , standardized mortality ratio , pediatrics , population , epidemiology , gerontology , psychiatry , environmental health , stars , physics , astronomy , artificial intelligence , sociology , computer science
Objective ‐ To examine the secular trend in the mortality associated with chronic epilepsy. Material and methods ‐ Using data from the Chalfont Centre for Epilepsy, UK, a residential centre for people with epilepsy, we determined the standardized mortality ratio (SMR) in the Chalfont population for each 5‐year epoch from 1896 to 1965. Results ‐ The SMR was found to be between 2 and 3 for most 5 year epochs from 1896 to 1965. Conclusion ‐ Changes in the average age and disability of the residents at the Chalfont Centre confound a definite conclusion, but the evidence suggests the possibility that an excess mortality has been associated with chronic epilepsy for 100 years despite major changes in treatment.