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Socioeconomic Characteristics of Childhood Seizure Disorders in the New Haven Area: An Epidemiologic Study

Summary: An average of 66 cases of childhood epilepsy were diagnosed in a year in the New Haven Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area. The average annual incidence rate among those under age 15 was estimated to be 0.73 per 1,000, a rate consistent with those reported in other studies. These are the first U.S. data to report the incidence of epilepsy among black children. Blacks were found to be at much greater risk for childhood epilepsy than were whites. Estimates of annual incidence rates in the New Haven Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area were 1.36 per 1,000 for black males, 0.99 for black females, 0.63 for white males, and 0.60 for white females. The cumulative annual incidence rate of 11.03 per 1,000 suggested that 1 in 91 children in the New Haven Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area would suffer from epilepsy before their 15th birthday. Cumulative incidence rates were 19.63 per 1,000 for black males, 19.51 for black females, 9.53 for white males, and 9.10 for white females. During the later years of the decade, 1965–1970, there was an excess of epilepsy in black and white children living in lower socioeconomic areas. These findings were considered plausible, because low‐income groups tend to have high infant mortality rates, high rates of prematurity and birth defects, high accident rates, an excess of lead poisoning, and poor nutrition–factors known to contribute to the development of secondary epilepsy. Fifty‐four percent of cases of childhood seizures were diagnosed during the first 5 years of life. The mean age at diagnosis was slightly older for females than for males. Black and Spanish‐speaking children tended to be diagnosed at a somewhat earlier age than did white children. Among the 733 cases considered epileptic, there was a trend toward an excess of epilepsy among males.