Population-based epidemiological studies on epilepsy are available mainly from the UK and the Nordic, Baltic and western Mediterranean countries. No studies were identified from large areas of Europe, especially from the former eastern Europe (except the Baltic countries) and the eastern Mediterranean countries. Based on the prevalence of epilepsy in different studies and accounting for incomplete case identification the estimated number of children and adolescents in Europe with active epilepsy is 0.9 million (prevalence 4.5-5.0 per 1000), 1.9 million in ages 20-64 years (prevalence six per 1000) and 0.6 million in ages 65 years and older (prevalence seven per 1000). Approximately 20-30% of the epilepsy population have more than one seizure per month. Based on the age-specific incidence rates in European studies, the estimated number of new cases per year amongst European children and adolescents is 130,000 (incidence rate 70 per 100,000), 96,000 in adults 20-64 years (incidence rate 30 per 100,000) and 85,000 in the elderly 65 years and older (incidence 100 per 100,000). The proportion of both new and established cases with epilepsy in the young, adults and elderly in individual countries may differ substantially from total European distribution because of differences in age structure.

The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical data of patients with epileptic seizures and diagnosed brain tumors. Analysis included 711 patients with primary and secondary brain tumors. 165 (23%) patients had experienced at least one seizure before tumor diagnosis. The mean time from the first epileptic seizure to tumor diagnosis was 16 months. The patient’s age, location and pathology of tumor were associated with occurrence of seizures. Seizures were more common in patients aged 30–50 years. Tumors involving the frontal, frontoparietal, temporal and frontotemporal lobes were associated with occurrence of seizures. According to the histological diagnosis, patients with mixed gliomas (62%), oligodendrogliomas (53%) and astrocytomas (42%) experienced seizures most frequently.

This article examines the impact of epilepsy and its treatment on employment status and the extent of stigma among patients with epilepsy. Clinical and demographic data concerning patients examined during a recent epidemiological survey were obtained from medical notes and postal self-completed questionnaires. Information was collected from 90 patients aged 16-70 years. A third of the respondents had been seizure-free during the last year. Thirty-nine percent were working full-time, 24% were working part-time and 11% were unemployed. Sixty-three percent from those working part-time or unemployed considered their epilepsy to be a significant reason for this. Overall, 55.4% believed they had been treated unfairly at work or when trying to get a job. Fifty-one percent of respondents felt stigmatized by epilepsy, 14% of them highly so. The level of employment among epileptic people was not lower than in the general population. The percentage of stigmatization in general and the percentage of the severely stigmatized was as high or even higher than in other studies. Occurrence of stigma and its severity depended first and foremost on the type of seizures. The frequency of seizures was not clearly related to this.

Summary: Purpose:To study the impact of epilepsy and its treatment on people with epilepsy in Estonia and to analyze how it is affected by the characteristics of epilepsy.Methods: Clinical and demographic data about patients were obtained from medical notes and mailed self-completed questionnaires (including the RAND 36-Items Health Survey 1.0 (RAND-36)).Results: Information was collected from 203 patients aged 20-74 years, who all had active epilepsy. A third of the respondents had been seizure free during the last year. Eightyfour percent were receiving monotherapy. More than half of respondents felt stigmatized by epilepsy, 24.7% of them highly so. A third were working full-time, 31.9% were underemployed workers, and 11%, unemployed. Sixty-two percent of these same unemployed or underemployed workers considered their epilepsy to be a significant reason for this situation. Overall, 44% believed they had been treated unfairly at work or when trying to get a job. Study respondents scored lower in all domains on the RAND-36 than did persons from the control group. The biggest differences were found in five domains: Social functioning, Role limitations-physical, Role limitations-emotional, General health, and Vitality.Conclusions: The clinical characteristics of this study were similar to those of most other series of prevalence cases of epilepsy. The level of employment among persons with epilepsy was not lower than that in the general population. The percentage of stigmatization was high. There were significant differences in the way respondents scored on the stigma scale and on the RAND-36 domains when measuring their health status, depending above all on seizure frequency and type.

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