The epilepsy treatment gap

The ILAE Commission on the Developing World has defined the epilepsy treatment gap as the difference between the number of people with epilepsy and those with epilepsy who receive antiseizure medication.¹ This figure summarizes findings from a systematic review of 45 epidemiological studies, in which treatment gaps were calculated as the proportion of people with epilepsy who were either not receiving antiseizure medication or receiving inadequate treatment. The estimated epilepsy treatment gap ranged from 9.8% in high-income countries to 86.9% in low-income countries.¹