A Forty-year Bibliometric Analysis on the Stigma in Children with Epilepsy

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder, usually diagnosed during childhood and adolescence, that causes abnormal electrical activity in the brain and predisposes the individual to recurrent seizures.1 The word epilepsy is derived from the Greek word epilepsia and can be divided into two separate words, epi (on) and lepsis (to hold or have a seizure).2 Epilepsy affects approximately 50 million people worldwide.Approximately 50% of epilepsy diagnoses are made during childhood and adolescence, affecting the lives of 10.5 million children under the age of 15. 3 The lifetime prevalence rate of epilepsy in children is 7.2 per 1,000 individuals.Approximately 5% of these individuals will have at least one epileptic seizure during their lifetime.4 In recent studies, the prevalence of epilepsy has been reported as 139/100,000 in underdeveloped and developing countries and 49/100,000 in developed countries.Four out of five of individuals with epilepsy live in underdeveloped and developing countries.3 Individuals with epilepsy in disadvantaged areas often do not receive treatment due to lack of access, which negatively affects both their physical and psychological health.5 Epilepsy and seizures are caused by genetic, structural, metabolic, infectious, immune, and unknown causes.These causes are not hierarchical and epilepsy can result from multiple causes.6 Antiepileptic drugs are effective in epilepsy and can control the symptoms.The symptoms observed are effectively managed in 7/10 of individuals with epilepsy when using appropriate antiepileptic drugs.3 Individuals with epilepsy and their families face difficulties.Discrimination and stigmatization are among the challenges faced by individuals with epilepsy.