Epilepsy is one of the most common and disabling chronic neurological conditions. It is characterised by recurrent seizures, which are caused by a temporary disruption of the electrical activity in the brain. This web report provides an overview of epilepsy in Australia, including statistics on disease prevalence, burden, treatment access, hospitalisations and deaths.
- Cat. no: NEU 1
Findings from this report:
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The National Health Survey 2017–18 estimates 0.6% of Australians have been diagnosed with epilepsy
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There were 31,400 hospitalisations associated with epilepsy in 2018–19
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There were over 20,600 emergency department presentations associated with epilepsy in 2018–19
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In 2019, epilepsy contributed to about 1,100 deaths