Objective
Evidence is lacking on the incidence and characteristics of the everyday life risks in patients with epilepsy as compared to a referent nonepileptic population.A multicenter prospective study is ongoing in seven European countries (Italy, Denmark, France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, The Netherlands) to provide information on the risk of morbidity and the risk of accidents in 1000 newly diagnosed patients with epilepsy and 1000 matched controls followed up for two years. The original study has been designed to meet general aims in the entire epileptic population. Given the heterogeneity of the epilepsies, the size of that sample allows only exploratory analyses of the everyday life risks within selected syndromic and seizure categories.The inclusion of 400 additional patients and controls to the original studypopulation will consent the fulfilment of the following aims: a) To demonstrate that patients with epilepsy are at equal risk of morbidity and/or accidents as compared to the normal population; b) To prove whether or not patients with symptomatic epilepsies are at higher risk of morbidity and/or accidents; c) To prove whether or not patients with generalized tonic-clonic seizures are at higher risk of morbidity and accidents. The inclusion of patients (and matched controls) from Central and Eastern European countries and from the republics of the former Soviet Union will not only consent the achievement of these goals, but it will also allow exploratory comparisons of different sociocultural settings, by examining the risk values within individual countries. The study protocol used for the expanded study is the same as that of the original project. The deliverables of the original study ( transfer of results to patients, caretakers, physicians, and agencies; delivery of standardized methods towhom it may concern; implementation of an integrated research network) can be usefully transferred to the EEC participating nations as well as the new European and Asian countries.
Call for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
20157 Milano
Italy