Epidemiology

Abstract

Epidemiology is a discipline concerned with the investigation of disease etiology, control, and distribution within the population, and the methods used are designed to extract meaningful relationships and correlations among multiple factors that may influence these basic parameters, and include a broad spectrum of experimental designs and biostatistical techniques. This chapter is more narrowly focused, and is primarily concerned with the demographics of infantile spasms, and considers its distribution within the population as a whole, as well as its frequency of occurrence within specific subpopulations. In addition, the familial and genetic aspects of the disorder are reviewed. Other epidemiological data pertaining to diagnostic characteristics, etiology, and effectiveness of therapy have been integrated into subsequent chapters, including Chapter 4 (Clinical manifestations), Chapter 9 (Etiological factors), Chapter 11 (Treatment), and Chapter 12 (Long-term outcome).