Seizure Recurrence

Abstract

To the Editor: A report by Hauser et al., which appeared in the Journal two years ago,* has been widely cited as a large-scale prospective study that demonstrated a low incidence of recurrent seizures (epilepsy) after an initial unprovoked seizure. Among 244 patients, the cumulative risk of recurrence was only 21 per cent by 24 months and only 27 per cent by 36 months.We believe that the report's conclusions are at best invalid and at worst erroneous. In that study, the community physicians, not the authors, decided whom to treat and whom not to treat. Patients given treatment were . . .