The prevalence of epilepsy in a rural district of Vietnam: A population‐based study from the EPIBAVI project

Objective: Epidemiological studies of epilepsy from developing countries are scarce. We have therefore initiated a population-based epidemiological project in Vietnam, EPIBAVI, with the overall objective to determine the incidence and prevalence of seizures and epilepsy in a representative region of the country. This is a fi rst report on the prevalence of active epilepsy in people 1 year or older in a rural district of Vietnam. Methods: A fi eld survey was carried out in the Bavi District in northern Vietnam between January and December 2005, when members of approximately 13 000 households were screened using a WHO screening questionnaire for seizure disorders. A clinical examination of all screened positive was performed by a neurologist to verify the epilepsy diagnosis, and all epilepsy cases were offered