Hospitalization for epilepsy--United States, 1988-1992.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurologic condition manifested by repeated unprovoked seizures that affects approximately 1% of the U.S. population (1). Although effective treatment can prevent seizures in most persons with epilepsy, some persons have frequent seizures, which can lead to brain damage, disability, and diminished quality of life (2,3). To assist in characterizing the public health impact of epilepsy in the United States, CDC analyzed data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey (NHDS) for 1988-1992 to estimate the number of hospitalizations for which epilepsy was the first-listed diagnosis.