The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and clinical
and socio-demographic characteristics of active epilepsy in the population,
aged 15 and over, in the province of Trabzon in northern Turkey. We surveyed
households and identified 34 epileptic patients (prevalence of 6/1,000), 28 of
whom had active epilepsy (prevalence of 5/1,000). Only one case of hot water
epilepsy was established among the 5,254 participants. Of the various seizure
types, the most common were partial seizures (63%), over half of which were
secondary generalised seizures. The largest syndromic category was that of
localisation-related symptomatic cases (46%). Forty-six percent of cases were
of unknown cause, and 16% were resistant to medication. The prevalence rate
of active epilepsy in Trabzon is low compared to other parts of Turkey and other
developing countries. This may be attributable to several factors, and particularly
to variations among socio-economic factors. The population of Trabzon is
regarded as relatively stable and homogenous, and socio-demographic and
health data for the province of Trabzon are much better than those for the rest
of the country.