Njohjam Mundih Noelar, Ngoule Mark Olivier, Tonga Emanuelle Mylene, Teugang Annick-Sandra Jouonang
Department of Neurology, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal.
Pan Afr Med J. 2025 Feb 4;50:42. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2025.50.42.45546. eCollection 2025.
onchocerciasis is the leading cause of epilepsy in onchocerciasis-endemic communities. Our study aimed to determine the incidence, prevalence and community awareness of Onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy (OAE) in two onchocerciasis-endemic rural communities in Cameroon.
we conducted a community-based cross-sectional study in two rural villages (Yangafock I, and Yangafock II) in the Mbam et Kim division of the Center Region of Cameroon. Door-to-door household visits were conducted to screen for individuals with epilepsy. OAE was defined using previously established criteria. Using an established questionnaire, we assessed community awareness of OAE.
seven hundred and ninety-nine (799) peoples from 102 households (380 in Yangafock I and 419 in Yangafock II) were screened. Fifty-three (53) peoples, (33 from Yangafock I and 20 from Yangafock II) met the OAE clinical criteria. Two hundred and forty-nine (249) persons completed the community awareness questionnaire. For Yangafock I, the overall prevalence of epilepsy was 78.75 per 1000, while for Yangafock II, it was 47.7 per 1000. The five-year incidence of epilepsy was 23.8 per 1000 and 11.9 per 1000 for 44 Yangafock I and Yangafock II, respectively. The most affected age group was 20-29 years. Community members had a critically low level of OAE awareness and risk perception.
the high prevalence and a critically low level of public awareness underscore the need to raise community awareness of OAE to increase community engagement in the fight against onchocerciasis and its complications.
盘尾丝虫病是盘尾丝虫病流行社区癫痫的主要病因。我们的研究旨在确定喀麦隆两个盘尾丝虫病流行的农村社区中盘尾丝虫病相关性癫痫（OAE）的发病率、患病率及社区认知情况。
我们在喀麦隆中部地区姆班和金姆分区的两个农村村庄（扬阿福克一号村和扬阿福克二号村）开展了一项基于社区的横断面研究。进行挨家挨户的家访以筛查癫痫患者。OAE采用先前制定的标准进行定义。我们使用一份既定问卷评估社区对OAE的认知情况。
对来自102户家庭的799人（扬阿福克一号村380人，扬阿福克二号村419人）进行了筛查。53人（扬阿福克一号村33人，扬阿福克二号村20人）符合OAE临床标准。249人完成了社区认知问卷。对于扬阿福克一号村，癫痫的总体患病率为每1000人78.75例，而扬阿福克二号村为每1000人47.7例。44名扬阿福克一号村和扬阿福克二号村居民的癫痫五年发病率分别为每1000人23.8例和11.9例。受影响最严重的年龄组为20 - 29岁。社区成员对OAE的认知水平和风险认知极低。
高患病率和极低的公众认知水平凸显了提高社区对OAE认知的必要性，以增强社区参与抗击盘尾丝虫病及其并发症的力度。
