Free epilepsy assessment calculators
Measure the impact of epilepsy with validated calculators, free. Score quality of life and how seizures affect daily life, and check the evidence behind each one.
How common is epilepsy?
About 1 in 26 people will develop epilepsy at some point in their lifetime.
About 3.4 million people in the United States are living with active epilepsy, including 3 million adults and 470,000 children.1 Worldwide, around 50 million people have epilepsy, with about 5 million newly diagnosed each year.2
- 1.Zack MM, Kobau R. National and State Estimates of the Numbers of Adults and Children with Active Epilepsy, United States, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66(31):821-825.
- 2.World Health Organization. Epilepsy fact sheet, 7 February 2024.
Understanding epilepsy
Epilepsy is a tendency to have seizures, which are bursts of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Seizures vary widely in how they look and feel. Beyond the seizures themselves, epilepsy can affect mood, work, driving, and daily life, so these calculators often focus on quality of life.
Medication controls seizures for most people. In a 30-year Glasgow cohort of 1,795 newly treated adults, 63.7 percent were free of seizures for a year or longer by the end of follow-up, and most of those achieved it on the first or second medicine.3More than a third were not controlled. When two suitable medicines have failed, the International League Against Epilepsy calls the epilepsy drug-resistant, and that is the group usually assessed for surgery, neurostimulation, or a trial.4
- 3.Chen Z, Brodie MJ, Liew D, Kwan P. Treatment outcomes in patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy treated with established and new antiepileptic drugs: a 30-year longitudinal cohort study. JAMA Neurol. 2018;75(3):279-286.
- 4.Kwan P, et al. Definition of drug resistant epilepsy: consensus proposal by the ad hoc Task Force of the ILAE Commission on Therapeutic Strategies. Epilepsia. 2010;51(6):1069-1077.
Epilepsy assessment calculators
Each one is free. Open it to take the assessment, get a score, and see what it measures and the evidence behind it.
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Epilepsy questions, answered
How is epilepsy diagnosed?
Diagnosis rests on the account of the events, usually supported by an EEG and brain imaging. The International League Against Epilepsy set the working definition in 2014. Epilepsy is diagnosed after at least two unprovoked seizures more than 24 hours apart, or after one unprovoked seizure when the chance of another over the next 10 years is at least 60 percent, or when an epilepsy syndrome is identified.
What causes epilepsy?
The cause is unknown in about half of cases worldwide. Where a cause is found, the World Health Organization lists brain damage from prenatal or perinatal causes, congenital abnormalities or genetic conditions with brain malformations, severe head injury, stroke, infection of the brain such as meningitis, encephalitis, or neurocysticercosis, certain genetic syndromes, and brain tumours.
What is drug-resistant epilepsy?
The International League Against Epilepsy defines it as failure of two tolerated, appropriately chosen and used antiseizure medication schedules, alone or in combination, to achieve sustained seizure freedom. That 2010 definition is the threshold most epilepsy centres use when they start discussing surgery or an implanted device.
Can epilepsy be cured?
The World Health Organization estimates that up to 70 percent of people living with epilepsy could become seizure free with appropriate use of antiseizure medicines. The International League Against Epilepsy treats epilepsy as resolved for someone who is past the applicable age of an age-dependent syndrome, or who has been seizure free for the last 10 years and off antiseizure medicines for at least the last 5.
Which questionnaire measures quality of life in epilepsy?
The QOLIE-31. It is a self-report scale covering seizure worry, overall quality of life, emotional well-being, energy and fatigue, cognitive function, medication effects, and social functioning. Trials often pair it with a generic measure such as the EQ-5D so that results can be compared with other conditions.
Are these epilepsy calculators free?
Yes. Every calculator in this library is free to take here. Each instrument page shows what it measures, how it is scored, and who publishes it.
Can a brain-computer interface help with epilepsy?
The Brain-Computer Interface Registry connects people with epilepsy to trials building new ways to monitor and manage the brain. Complete your assessments once, and be matched to trials as they open.
These calculators use validated instruments and are reference information, not a diagnosis.