Understanding the differences in prevalence of epilepsy in tropical regions

Epilepsy is a frequent chronic neurologic disorder that affects nearly 70 million people worldwide. The majority of people with epilepsy live in developing countries, where epilepsy remains a major public health problem. Wide prevalence differences exist among various populations across sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and Asia. In particular, prevalence is lower in Southeast Asia than in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America. Methodologic problems alone do not seem to explain these differences shown in recent review papers. The distribution of numerous risk or etiologic factors such as infectious diseases with neurologic sequel, head injuries, or genetic factors could explain these differences. Stigmatization of people with epilepsy could lead to underestimating the prevalence of epilepsy, even in well-conducted studies. It is important to standardize the process of epidemiologic monitoring of epilepsy in order to improve the reliability in data comparison. Understanding the reasons for these differences is a crucial issue for eventually raising new hypotheses or prevention strategies. © 2011 International League Against Epilepsy.