USE OF ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS IN A COMMUNITY-DWELLING DUTCH POPULATION

We compared the treatment policy for patients with epilepsy in six Dut ch cities, comprising 302,149 inhabitants, with the treatment policies of a secondary referral center (a university hospital) and tertiary r eferral centers (outpatient departments of epilepsy centers). By compa ring the prevalence of individuals receiving antiepileptic drugs in th e six cities with the epidemiologic data for epilepsy in Rochester, Mi nnesota, we concluded that prescription data offer a suitable means by which to estimate the prevalence of epilepsy in a community. To compa re prescriptions in cases of polytherapy, we normalized data by using defined daily doses published by the WHO Collaborating Center for Drug s Statistics Methodology and the Nordic Council on Medicines and concl uded that the defined daily doses of antiepileptic drugs should be fur ther elaborated. There is a need to obtain complete dose-response curv es of equivalent antiepileptic drugs in humans. The trend of drug use found in the six cities, the university hospital, and the epilepsy cen ters is, however, in accord with the expectations regarding primary, s econdary, and tertiary referral centers.