A study by Santé Publique France reveals that there are significant social and territorial inequalities regarding the prevalence of epilepsy in France.
- Nearly 700,000 people with epilepsy are treated in France, according to a new study.
- The Public Health France report shows that the prevalence of epilepsy increases with advancing age.
- There are also significant social and territorial inequalities with a concentration of the highest rates in a North-East-South-West diagonal, in the Northern departments, as well as in certain DROMs such as Reunion.
Public Health France presents a picture of epilepsy in France in a new study published on April 4, 2024. And it highlights social and territorial inequalities in the prevalence of this chronic neurological disease.
Epilepsy: nearly 700,000 people suffer from it in France
France had 685,122 people with epilepsy treated on January 1, 2020. 41% of them had been hospitalized and 29% had long-term condition status. The prevalence of the pathology is thus 10.2 per 1,000 inhabitants, for both men and women. “It is similar to that observed in the United States and England. For comparison, the prevalence was 12 per 1,000 in the United States in 2015, and 6.0 per 1,000 inhabitants in Japan and 9.4 per 1,000 inhabitants in the United Kingdom in 2019″adds Public Health France.
Furthermore, it increases with age. “For men, it increases gradually from 2.6 to 8.7 per 1,000 inhabitants between 40 and 44 years old then more sharply after 65 years old to reach 20 per 1,000 inhabitants at 80 years old. For women, we observe a similar growth with a slightly higher prevalence around 12 per 1,000 inhabitants between 45 and 74 years old, then a sharp increase thereafter, as in men. According to experts, the prevalence of the disease increases “earlier” in men due to their comorbidities, particularly cardiovascular, “and in particular stroke, which is a cause of epilepsy and occurs earlier in men.”
Epilepsy: significant social and territorial disparities
Age would not be the only element that influences prevalence according to the Public Health France report. It also reveals strong territorial inequalities between the French. Residents of the Northern departments and those located along a northeast−southwest diagonal, including in particular the Massif Central departments, are the most affected. Cases are also numerous overseas, particularly in Reunion (13.3 per 1,000). For the experts, “the frequency of cardiovascular comorbidities” and “the socio-economic precariousness of these territories” may partly explain these higher prevalences.
Another worrying element: the prevalence also increases with social inequalities. The data reveals “a difference of 42% between the most disadvantaged quintile (10.1 cases per 1,000 inhabitants) compared to the least disadvantaged (7.1 cases per 1,000 inhabitants)”. For experts, this increase in cases among people in difficulty could be explained “through exposure to toxic substances intrautero and during early childhood and to pollution”. Furthermore, they also recall that “stigma, side effects of epilepsy treatment and associated comorbidities can lead to greater difficulty in finding or keeping a job for sick people or even to a drop in income.”
