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The Florida Department of Health works to protect, promote, and improve the health of all people in Florida through integrated state, county, and community efforts.
Data and Research
Contact the Epilepsy Program
Estimated number of people with active epilepsy in Florida by age group in 2023:
Total number of cases: 172,600
Number of cases for the ages 0-17: 26,200
Number of cases for the ages 18+: 146,400
Prevalence
Based on the 2023 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS):
- Approximately 403,300 Florida adults (2.2%) have ever been told by a doctor that they have a seizure disorder or epilepsy.
- Among those, approximately 36.3% (146,400) were taking medication to control it.
- Approximately 64.5% of individuals with seizure disorder or epilepsy have some form of health insurance. This is significantly lower compared to individuals without epilepsy (90.3%).
Based on the 2023 National Survey of Children’s Health:
- Approximately 1% of children in the United States have ever been diagnosed with epilepsy and 0.6% currently have the condition.
- Using Florida’s 2023 population of children ages 0-17 (4,356,300) and applying the national prevalence rates estimates of epilepsy, it is estimated that:
- 43,600 Florida children ages 0-17 have ever been diagnosed with epilepsy, and
- 26,200 Florida children ages 0-17 currently have epilepsy.
Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalizations
In 2024, there were 21,738 hospitalizations and 31,204 emergency department visits with epilepsy listed as the principal diagnosis.
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