People with epilepsy have a 10% per annum chance of sustaining an injury while having a seizure, an Australian study shows.

Data from 819 patients in the Tasmanian Epilepsy Register, enabled statistics to be calculated for falls, burns, fractures and near-drownings of community-dwelling patients, 70% of whom were treated in primary care.

The median age was 47 years and participants had had epilepsy for a median of 22 years when they were interviewed using a detailed questionnaire in financial year 2001-2.

While 9.9% reported an injury in the past year, 43% had experienced injury resulting from a seizure at some point in their lifetime, reported the authors, led by Associate Professor Wendyl D’Souza of the University of Melbourne.