Editing Epilepsy (section)

==Epidemiology==
Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological disorders, affecting approximately 50 million people globally as of 2021,<ref name="GBD2021">{{cite web |date=2021 |title=GBD 2021 Cause and Risk Summary: EPILEPSY |url=https://www.healthdata.org/research-analysis/diseases-injuries-risks/factsheets/2021-epilepsy-level-1-impairment |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240719233622/https://www.healthdata.org/sites/default/files/disease_and_injury/gbd_2021/topic_pdf/cause/193.pdf |archive-date=19 July 2024 |access-date=19 July 2024 |website=Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) |publisher=University of Washington |publication-place=Seattle, USA}}</ref><ref name="Feigin2025">{{Cite journal |last=Feigin |first=Valery L. |last2=Vos |first2=Theo |last3=Nair |first3=Balakrishnan Sukumaran |last4=Hay |first4=Simon I. |last5=Abate |first5=Yohannes Habtegiorgis |last6=Magied |first6=Abdallah H. A. Abd Al |last7=ElHafeez |first7=Samar Abd |last8=Abdelkader |first8=Atef |last9=Abdollahifar |first9=Mohammad-Amin |last10=Abdullahi |first10=Auwal |last11=Aboagye |first11=Richard Gyan |last12=Abreu |first12=Lucas Guimarães |last13=Rumeileh |first13=Samir Abu |last14=Abualruz |first14=Hasan |last15=Aburuz |first15=Salahdein |date=2025-03-01 |title=Global, regional, and national burden of epilepsy, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 |url=https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(24)00302-5/fulltext |journal=The Lancet Public Health |language=English |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=e203–e227 |doi=10.1016/S2468-2667(24)00302-5 |issn=2468-2667 |pmid=40015291|hdl=10067/1585180151162165141 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> with the majority living in low- and middle-income countries.<ref name="WHO2023" /><ref>{{cite journal |vauthors=Espinosa-Jovel C, Toledano R, Aledo-Serrano Á, García-Morales I, Gil-Nagel A |date=March 2018 |title=Epidemiological profile of epilepsy in low income populations |journal=Seizure |volume=56 |pages=67–72 |doi=10.1016/j.seizure.2018.02.002 |pmid=29453113 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The point prevalence of active epilepsy is generally reported between 5 and 7 per 1,000 people, while lifetime prevalence is slightly higher, typically between 6 and 9 per 1,000.<ref name="Fiest2017">{{Cite journal |last=Fiest |first=Kirsten M. |last2=Sauro |first2=Khara M. |last3=Wiebe |first3=Samuel |last4=Patten |first4=Scott B. |last5=Kwon |first5=Churl-Su |last6=Dykeman |first6=Jonathan |last7=Pringsheim |first7=Tamara |last8=Lorenzetti |first8=Diane L. |last9=Jetté |first9=Nathalie |date=2017 |title=Prevalence and incidence of epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis of international studies |url=https://www.neurology.org/doi/10.1212/WNL.0000000000003509 |journal=Neurology |language=en |volume=88 |issue=3 |pages=296–303 |doi=10.1212/WNL.0000000000003509 |issn=0028-3878 |pmc=5272794 |pmid=27986877}}</ref> Both prevalence and incidence are higher in low-income regions. The annual incidence of epilepsy — the rate of new diagnoses each year — is estimated at 50 to 70 new cases per 100,000 people globally, based on population studies.<ref name="Fiest2017" /> Rates are significantly higher in low- and middle-income countries, and, within high-income countries, higher incidence has also been observed among lower socioeconomic groups and some ethnic minorities.

Epilepsy can develop at any age, but its incidence is highest in early infancy and in older adults, following a bimodal distribution. In high-income countries, the incidence peaks during the first year of life, declines during adulthood, and rises again in people over age 85. The increase in older adults is associated with age-related conditions such as stroke, brain tumors, and neurodegenerative diseases. In low- and middle-income countries, incidence more often peaks in older children and young adults, which may reflect the effects of trauma, infections, and underdiagnosis in the elderly. Epilepsy is slightly more common in males than females, a difference that may be influenced by risk factor exposure and underreporting in women in some regions due to sociocultural factors.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Beghi |first=E |date=2019 |title=The Epidemiology of Epilepsy |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31852003/ |journal=Neuroepidemiology |volume=54 |issue=2 |pages=185-191 |doi=10.1159/000503831}}</ref>

Beyond prevalence and incidence, epilepsy imposes a significant global burden in terms of disability, stigma, and premature mortality. The disorder is responsible for an estimated 13 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide each year, with the majority of this burden falling on individuals in low-resource settings where access to diagnosis and treatment remains limited.<ref name="Feigin2025" />