Epilepsy in the Brazilian Public Health System: Trends, Access to Care, and Costs (2015–2024)

Introduction: Epilepsy is one of the most prevalent chronic neurological disorders, associated with significant morbidity, higher risk of injuries, premature mortality, and socioeconomic impact. Analyzing national indicators is essential to understand regional disparities and support public policies aimed at early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Methodology: This is a retrospective descriptive study based on DATASUS data (2015–2024), including records of hospital admissions, deaths, standardized rates and mortality rates due to epilepsy (ICD-10 G40). Temporal trends and regional differences were analyzed.

Results and Discussion:
The data revealed a total of 560,830 hospitalizations during the analyzed period. Among the results, the Southeast region presented the highest number of hospitalizations (231,111), while the North region registered the lowest (31,342). Regarding mortality, the Southeast also accounted for the highest number of deaths (7,253), whereas the North recorded the lowest (752) in the same period.

The annual analysis demonstrated a progressive increase in mortality rates, with the highest rate observed in 2024 (3.0%), followed by 2023 (2.89%) and 2022 (2.75%). The lowest rates were recorded between 2015 (2.23%) and 2019 (2.38%). Therefore, consistent with the findings reported by Ling-Zhi Yang et al., epilepsy remains an important cause of disability and mortality, as evidenced by the data from the analyzed period.

Conclusion: Epilepsy remains a significant burden on the Brazilian public health system, with increasing admissions, rising costs, and persistent regional disparities. Expanding access to diagnostic tools, specialized consultations, and a continuous supply of antiepileptic drugs is crucial to reduce mortality and healthcare expenditures. However, this study is limited by its reliance on secondary data from DATASUS, which may be subject to underreporting, coding inconsistencies, and a lack of clinical details, potentially underestimating the true burden of epilepsy.