Fast Facts About Epilepsy
- 3.4 million people and their families are affected by epilepsy in the United States
- 190,000+ people in Missouri and Kansas are living with epilepsy
- 65 million people worldwide are living with epilepsy
- 1 in 26 people will be diagnosed with epilepsy during their lifetime
- 1 in 10 people will experience a seizure during their lifetime
- 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year in the US
- 470,000 children have epilepsy
- 336,000 children have at least one seizure annually
- 30 percent of people with epilepsy do not gain full control of their seizures and continue to struggle day-to-day with the threat of imminent seizures
- 32 percent of adults with epilepsy can’t work versus 7 percent of those without epilepsy
- 29 percent of adults with epilepsy can’t use a car or public transit to get places versus 8 percent without epilepsy
- 21 percent of adults with epilepsy can’t pay for medicines versus 9 percent without epilepsy
- 1 out of 1,000 adults with epilepsy and 1 out of 1,000 children with epilepsy die each year from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP)
- 15-fold increased risk of SUDEP for people who have three or more generalized tonic-clonic seizures a year
