Differences in Epilepsy Etiology, Type, Syndrome, and Severity Between Māori and Non-Māori-Non-Pasifika Children With Epilepsy in New Zealand

Māori children with epilepsy in New Zealand have higher prevalence of preventable epilepsy causes compared to non-Māori-non-Pasifika peers.
Structural and infectious etiologies are more common among Māori children, linked strongly to socioeconomic deprivation and rurality.
Focal epilepsy predominates in both groups, but Māori children are less frequently diagnosed with self-limited epilepsy syndromes and epileptic encephalopathies.
Māori children with epilepsy experience greater intellectual disability burden, underscoring health inequities related to social determinants.

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