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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
High prevalence of epilepsy in a village in the Littoral Province of Cameroon
Epilepsy Research, Volume 82, No. 2-3, Year 2008
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Description
Purpose: In the Littoral Province of Cameroon, in the Sanaga River Valley, a door-to-door epidemiological study was carried out in order to evaluate the prevalence of epilepsy in a small village located in a geographically isolated area, hyper-endemic for onchocerciasis. It was followed by an electro-clinical evaluation of patients and a case-control study. Methods: The study involved a three-phases design: in phase I, a screening questionnaire was administered, in phase II, the presence of epilepsy was confirmed with electro-clinical evaluation, and in phase III, risk factors for epilepsy, socio-economical factors and life habits were evaluated in patients and two matched controls for the age (±1 year) residents in the same village. Endemicity level of onchocerciasis was assessed in the village by measuring the prevalence of nodules in adult males aged ≥20 years (PNAM). Results: One hundred eighty-one subjects (100 male and 81 female) were examined (91.9% of the overall population). The crude prevalence rate of active epilepsy was 105 per 1000 pop (CI 95% 60-150) while the age-adjusted prevalence rate was 134.5 cases per 1000 pop (CI 95% 90-178). Seizures were classified as generalized in 10 patients (52.6%) and partial in nine (47.4%). In 17 patients EEG was recorded. Afterward the electro-clinical classification this distribution was inverted: generalized seizures occurred in 35.3% of cases and partial seizures in 64.7% of cases. The PNAM was 62.5%. The surveyed village was classified as hyper-endemic for onchocerciasis. Among risk factors, only positive family history for epilepsy was found (p = 0.031). A sample pedigree of a family with 10 epileptic cases (4 included in the epidemiological study) was showed. Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first door-to-door study that produce an adjusted prevalence rate on epilepsy in Cameroon. In according to studies done in Tanzania, Liberia, Uganda, and Ethiopia, our results (i.e., the high prevalence rate in a restricted area, the clinical characteristics of epileptic seizures, the positive family history for epilepsy and the type of pedigree of a family with epileptic patients) may be accounted for by the presence of an strong interaction between environmental and genetic factors in some circumscribed areas. © 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Prischich, Francesca
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
De Rinaldis, Marta
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Bruno, Flaminia
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
South Africa
Mingha Africa Onlus Association
Egeo, Gabriella
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Santori, Chiara
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Zappaterreno, Alessandra
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Fattouch, Jinane
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Di Bonaventura, Carlo
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Bada, Jean
Cameroon, Yaounde
Santé de Peuples Association
Russo, Gianluca
South Africa
Mingha Africa Onlus Association
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Pizzuti, Antonio
Italy, San Giovanni Rotondo
Irccs Casa Sollievo Della Sofferenza
Cardona, Francesco
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Sa'a,
Cameroon, Yaounde
Ministry of Public Health Cameroon
Vullo, Vincenzo
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Giallonardo, Anna Teresa
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
D'Erasmo, Emilio
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Pelliccia, Andrea
Italy, Rome
Sapienza Università Di Roma
Vanacore, Nicola
Italy, Rome
Istituto Superiore Di Sanita
Statistics
Citations: 80
Authors: 18
Affiliations: 6
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2008.09.004
ISSN:
09201211
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Infectious Diseases
Study Design
Cross Sectional Study
Case-Control Study
Study Locations
Cameroon
Ethiopia
Liberia
Tanzania
Uganda
Participants Gender
Male
Female