World Health Organization, Enugu, Nigeria.
Community-based Rehabilitation Effata, Waddinxveen, The Netherlands; Department of Pediatric Neurology, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands; Biomedical MR Imaging and Spectroscopy Group, Image Sciences Institute, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Epilepsy Res. 2014 Feb;108(2):316-26. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2013.11.010. Epub 2013 Nov 17.
Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder in Nigeria. Many individuals are affected in rural areas, although prevalence data is not available. In this study we aimed to establish the prevalence of epilepsy in a rural community in south-east Nigeria, a community suspected for having a high number of people living with epilepsy. We compared this with the prevalence in a nearby semi-urban community in north-central Nigeria. In both communities we identified potential causes of epilepsy and obtained information on the social beliefs regarding epilepsy. We used door-to-door surveys and focus group discussions. The epilepsy prevalence in the rural community was 20.8/1000 [95% confidence interval (CI): 15.7-27.4]. The prevalence in the semi-rural community was lower, namely 4.7/1000 [CI: 3.2-6.9]. The difference in prevalence was highly significant (χ(2)-test, p<0.0001). In both communities most people with epilepsy were in the age range of 7-24 years. Causes that might be contributory to the prevalence of epilepsy in both communities included poor obstetric practices, frequent febrile convulsions, head trauma, meningitis and neurocysticercosis. In both communities we found stigma of people with epilepsy. In conclusion, the epilepsy prevalence in the semi-urban community is similar to that in industrialized countries. In contrast, the rural community has a much higher prevalence. This may require the establishment of specific community-based epilepsy control programs. Community interventions should focus on treatment of acute epilepsy and on stigma reduction.
癫痫是尼日利亚常见的神经障碍。许多农村地区的人受到影响，尽管没有流行数据。在这项研究中，我们旨在确定尼日利亚东南部农村社区的癫痫患病率，该社区被怀疑有大量癫痫患者。我们将其与尼日利亚中北部一个附近半城市社区的患病率进行了比较。在这两个社区中，我们确定了癫痫的潜在病因，并获取了有关癫痫社会观念的信息。我们使用了挨家挨户的调查和焦点小组讨论。农村社区的癫痫患病率为 20.8/1000[95%置信区间(CI)：15.7-27.4]。半农村社区的患病率较低，为 4.7/1000[CI：3.2-6.9]。患病率的差异非常显著(卡方检验，p<0.0001)。在这两个社区中，大多数癫痫患者的年龄在 7-24 岁之间。可能导致两个社区癫痫患病率的原因包括不良的产科实践、频繁的热性惊厥、头部创伤、脑膜炎和脑囊虫病。在这两个社区中，我们都发现了癫痫患者的耻辱感。总之，半城市社区的癫痫患病率与工业化国家相似。相比之下，农村社区的患病率要高得多。这可能需要建立特定的以社区为基础的癫痫控制项目。社区干预应侧重于急性癫痫的治疗和减少耻辱感。
