Birth order in epileptic children.

A knowledge of birth order can be contributory to the evaluation of hereditary and environmental factors in disease. There is, however, no agreement as to whether a characteristic birth order pattern exists in epilepsy. Thus Brain (1956) and Lennox (1960) have written respectively 'epilepsy is relatively commoner among first born children than among later members of the family' and 'birth order is uninfluential'. In view of this contradictory situation, we have re-examined the question in respect of first and second births.