ABSTRACT
Objective To explore the treatment gap and influencing factors of convulsive epilepsy in rural areas of Jiangsu Province.Methods The clinical data of 7836 rural convulsive epilepsy patients screened from 2005 to 2020 were statistically analyzed,and the treatment status,treatment gap and related influencing factors of epilepsy patients were analyzed.Results A total of 7836 patients with convulsive epilepsy were enrolled in this study.The treatment gap for convulsive epilepsy in rural areas of Jiangsu Province was 69.05%.There was no significant difference in the treatment gap between different genders(P＞0.05).There were statistically significant differences in the treatment gap between age(χ2 = 12.196,P =0.007),age of onset(χ2 =58.658,P＜0.001),disease duration(χ2 =65.430,P＜0.001),seizure frequency(χ2 =171.276,P＜0.001),and hospitalization level(χ2 = 122.076,P＜0.001).Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that the older the age of onset was,the shorter the course of the disease was,the more frequent the seizures was,and the greater the treatment gap in patients with epilepsy was(all P＜0.05).Patients aged 45-59 years(P =0.012)and treated in municipal and county hospitals(P＜0.001)were more likely to receive regular anti-epileptic treatment.Conclusions There is a significant treatment gap for convulsive epilepsy patients in rural areas of Jiangsu Province.This may be due to insufficient awareness of epilepsy and the underdevelopment of primary healthcare institutions.