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The Epilepsies: The Facts

The Prevalence.

  • 10% of the population will experience a seizure in their lifetime.

  • 1 in 26 people will develop a form of epilepsy in their lifetime.

  • ​5.1 million will be diagnosed with epilepsy.

  • 3.4 Americans currently live with active epilepsy, including 470,000 children and teenagers.

  • No one is immune - the Epilepsies impact infants, children, young adults, seniors, wounded war fighters and veterans, and persons with traumatic brain injury.

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The Prevalence.

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  • 10% of the population will experience a seizure in their lifetime.

  • 1 in 26 people will develop a form of epilepsy in their lifetime.

  • ​5.1 million will be diagnosed with epilepsy.

  • 3.4 Americans currently live with active epilepsy, including 470,000 children and teenagers.

  • No one is immune - the Epilepsies impact infants, children, young adults, seniors, wounded war fighters and veterans, and persons with traumatic brain injury.

Can Be Deadly.

So Much MORE Than Seizures.

  • The epilepsies can be deadly, with one out of every 1,000 people dying from Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP).

  • Deaths are 2x higher for the non-Hispanic Black population.

  • ​5.1 million will be diagnosed with epilepsy.

  • Inadequate or delayed treatment increase a person’s risk of subsequent seizures, brain damage, disability, and death.​

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Much MORE Than Seizures

  • Delayed recognition of seizures may lead to a long diagnostic odyssey.​5.1 million will be diagnosed with epilepsy.

  • The epilepsies are among the most burdensome neurological disorders in the US.

  • 66% of adults live with 4 or more other chronic conditions.

  • Many people with epilepsy experience health problems other than seizures which can impact every body system.

  • Public misunderstanding, discrimination, and stigma may limit lives, livelihood and living.[3]

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  • The total healthcare burden for people living with the epilepsies or seizures is at least $54 billion.

  • 32% of adults with epilepsy can't work

  • 53% with uncontrolled seizures live in households earning < $25,000/yr.

  • These costs are likely underestimates due to incomplete data on indirect costs like loss of productivity and easy retirement of people with epilepsy.

  • Yet only half of a percent of the more than $42 billion the National Institute of Health (NIH) spends on medical research each year, goes to epilepsy.[2]

The Rising Costs

Much MORE Than Seizures

  • Delayed recognition of seizures may lead to a long diagnostic odyssey.​5.1 million will be diagnosed with epilepsy.

  • The epilepsies are among the most burdensome neurological disorders in the US.

  • 66% of adults live with 4 or more other chronic conditions.

  • Many people with epilepsy experience health problems other than seizures which can impact every body system.

  • Public misunderstanding, discrimination, and stigma may limit lives, livelihood and living.[3]

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