Over the last few years, organisations who make data available for public health research have been looking for ways to improve data sharing and security among users of the data. One approach that has been recommended in the UK is the use of platforms which allow access to data so analysis can be performed but limited outputs (e.g. aggregated results) can be exported. CPRD are working to establish such a platform for its users. However, it is key that the platform still enables vital health research to be performed. To help assess this, a study looking at epilepsy and stroke will be conducted.
Epilepsy is the name for a group of chronic conditions which result in repeated seizures and affects people of all ages, genders and ethnicities. Epilepsy has been linked to other conditions, including stroke. However, studies in this area have been limited and not recent.
The aims of this study are to provide more updated information on the statistics of stroke in epileptic patients while also assessing if important research can be conducted in CPRD’S secure platform. As there is a drive for more organisations to use such platforms, this research will benefit public health by ensuring such methods do not hamper research using CPRD data.
The main aim of this study is to calculate the incidence of stroke among patients with epilepsy who were prescribed anti-seizure medication. This research will benefit public health by presenting an updated picture of the disease in the UK thus highlighting areas of improvement in the management of such patients and suggesting areas for further research.
This is a retrospective cohort study of epileptic patients prescribed anti-seizure medication with an incident record of stroke between 01/012010-31/12/2019 in their primary or secondary care data record.
The CPRD primary care data will be used for defining the study population. This will also be linked to the Hospital Episode Statistics Admitted Patient Care (HES APC) data (for defining the outcome of stroke), Office for National Statistics (ONS) Death Registration data (for defining the outcome of stroke and the date of death), and patient-level Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) data (as a covariate).
Descriptive results will be presented for patient demographics and incidence rates will also be calculated as the number of newly diagnosed stroke events in patients with epilepsy (numerator) divided by the sum of the person years of follow-up of epileptic patients during each calendar year of interest. The rates will be stratified by age group, gender, and year of stroke diagnosis.
Incidence of stroke among patients with epilepsy
Jessie Oyinlola - Chief Investigator - CPRD
Eleanor Axson - Corresponding Applicant - CPRD
Chisomo Mutafya - Collaborator - CPRD
Daphne Martin - Collaborator - CPRD
HES Admitted Patient Care;ONS Death Registration Data;Patient Level Index of Multiple Deprivation