Abstracts

Experienced clinicians understand that patients with epilepsy have substantial comorbidity of chronic conditions. However, apart from psychiatric or psychological ailments, few data exist on the prevalence of chronic health conditions associated with epilepsy. We assessed the prevalence of self-reported chronic conditions associated with epilepsy in two omnibus population health surveys in Canada. We analyzed data from the National Population Health Survey (NPHS, 49,000 respondents) and the Community Health Survey (CHS, 130,882 respondents). Both surveys used probabilistic sampling of the entire Canadian population and explored the presence of 19 common chronic conditions. These were ascertained through personal interviews asking one question. In the case of epilepsy the question was [ldquo]Do you have epilepsy diagnosed by a health professional?[rdquo] (NPHS), and [ldquo]Do you have epilepsy?[rdquo] (CHS). We obtained a risk ratio of the prevalence of chronic conditions in epilepsy versus that in the general population, calculated 95% confidence intervals around the risk ratios, and compared findings from both surveys Of 19 chronic conditions explored, 13 (68%) occurred significantly more frequently in epilepsy patients than in the general population (Risk ratio [gt]1, with 95% CI excluding the null value). The chronic conditions with the highest prevalence in epilepsy patients (Risk ratio [ge]2) were peptic ulcer disease, gastrointestinal illnesses, stroke, urinary incontinence, bowel disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, migraine, chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and heart disease. The self reported prevalence of chronic health problems is high in patients with epilepsy in the general population. In keeping with existing notions, stroke and migraine were more prevalent in patients with epilepsy than in the general population. However, we also found some associations not reported previously, such as a higher frequency of cardiac and pulmonary problems, chronic fatigue syndrome and gastrointestinal illnesses. We discuss methodological issues, interpretation and validity of findings.