Prevalence of pediatric epilepsy in low-income rural Midwestern counties.

Epilepsy is one of the most common disabling neurological disorders, but significant gaps exist in our knowledge about childhood epilepsy in rural populations. The present study assessed the prevalence of pediatric epilepsy in nine low-income rural counties in the Midwestern United States overall and by gender, age, etiology, seizure type, and syndrome. Multiple sources of case identification were used, including medical records, schools, community agencies, and family interviews.