National Institute of Medical Research, Tanga, P.O Box 5004, Tanzania.
Global Health Institute, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium.
Epilepsy Behav. 2023 Sep;146:109367. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2023.109367. Epub 2023 Jul 29.
A high prevalence of epilepsy has been observed in the onchocerciasis-endemic focus of Mahenge, Tanzania. This study sought to assess the degree of disability experienced by persons with epilepsy (PWE) in Mahenge and identify associations with sociodemographic and clinical features.
This cross-sectional study was conducted in Mahenge, Tanzania, between February and July 2020. PWE were recruited from the Mahenge epilepsy clinic and four neighbouring rural villages (Mdindo, Mzogezi, Mzelezi and Sali). Data were collected using the 36-item version of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0) questionnaire for adults. For children aged 5-17 years, we used the Module on Child Functioning developed by UNICEF and the Washington Group. Questionnaires were administered by trained research assistants. Descriptive statistics were performed, and multivariable analyses (gamma and logistic regressions) were conducted.
A total of 321 adults (45.5% males) and 48 children (55.3% males) with epilepsy participated. The overall median WHODAS 2.0 score was 4.8% (IQR: 0.9-18.9). The most affected disability domain was 'participating in the society' (median score: 12.5%, IQR: 0-29.2). Fifteen (31.3%) of the children with epilepsy had a disability in at least one domain of the child functioning module, with the 'accepting change' domain harbouring the highest proportion of disabled children (12.5%). Higher seizure frequency and longer epilepsy duration were associated with more disability.
PWE in Mahenge experience variable degrees of disability. The affected domains indicate the need for societal rehabilitation of PWE in various community and/or social activities. Peer-support groups were instituted at the study sites to address these needs.
坦桑尼亚马亨盖的盘尾丝虫病流行地区，癫痫的发病率很高。本研究旨在评估马亨盖癫痫患者（PWE）的残疾程度，并确定其与社会人口学和临床特征的关联。
本横断面研究于 2020 年 2 月至 7 月在坦桑尼亚的马亨盖进行。从马亨盖癫痫诊所和四个邻近的农村村庄（Mdindo、Mzogezi、Mzelezi 和 Sali）招募了 PWE。使用世界卫生组织残疾评估量表 2.0 （WHODAS 2.0）的 36 项成人问卷收集数据。对于 5-17 岁的儿童，我们使用儿童功能模块由联合国儿童基金会和华盛顿小组开发。问卷由经过培训的研究助理管理。进行描述性统计分析，并进行多变量分析（伽马和逻辑回归）。
共有 321 名成人（45.5%为男性）和 48 名儿童（55.3%为男性）患有癫痫。总体 WHODAS 2.0 中位数为 4.8%（IQR：0.9-18.9）。受影响最大的残疾领域是“参与社会”（中位数：12.5%，IQR：0-29.2）。15 名（31.3%）患有癫痫的儿童在儿童功能模块的至少一个领域存在残疾，其中“接受变化”领域的残疾儿童比例最高（12.5%）。更高的癫痫发作频率和更长的癫痫持续时间与更多的残疾有关。
马亨盖的 PWE 经历不同程度的残疾。受影响的领域表明需要在各种社区和/或社会活动中对 PWE 进行社会康复。在研究地点设立了同伴支持小组来满足这些需求。
