Surprisingly rapid decline in Finnish epilepsy cases over two decades

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According to a recent survey, there has been a surprisingly rapid decline in the incident rate of epilepsy in Finland over the past twenty years.
      The survey shows that 53 of every 100,000 Finns were diagnosed with epilepsy in 2002, while the corresponding figure in 1986 was nearly 72.
     
"There are many reasons for the favourable development", noted Dr. Reetta Kälviäinen, from the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital of Kuopio, who is also the director of the Kuopio Epilepsy Centre.
      "Epilepsy can be sparked by many kinds of illnesses and trauma in the brain, but in recent years it has been possible to reduce many of these causes", Kälviäinen added.
      For example, vaccination prevents infections which could cause an acute inflammation of the brain and lead to epilepsy.
      Moreover, the number of brain damage cases in connection with difficult birth, childhood, and youth has decreased thanks to progress in medicine in general.
     
The decline in the number of those diagnosed as having epilepsy in Finland is exceptional.
      According to the statistics compiled by the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, such a decline in the onset of diseases is unusual. In addition to epilepsy, only the number of heart failure cases have been found to decrease.
     
Another reason for the declining incident rate of epilepsy is the fact that the diagnoses have become more accurate, says Reetta Kälviäinen. Part of those illnesses that were previously diagnosed as epilepsy have been found to be something else.
      While the incident rate of epilepsy has declined among children, young and working-age people, the incidence among OAPs has increased. The reasons include cerebral circulation disturbances as well as dementia.
     
Epilepsy is a common chronic neurological disorder that is characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures.
      Epilepsy is usually controlled, but not cured, by medication, although surgery may be considered in difficult cases.
      Epilepsy should be understood as a group of syndromes with vastly divergent symptoms but all involving episodic abnormal electrical activity in the brain.


Links:
  Epilepsy (Wikipedia)
  The Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA)

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