1. Prevalence of Epilepsy in a Rural District of Central Lao PDR
- Author
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Hubert Barennes, Duc Si Tran, Michel Druet-Cabanac, Michel Strobel, Thi-Oanh Le, Pierre Huc, Peter Odermatt, Pierre-Marie Preux, Neuroépidémiologie Tropicale et Comparée (NETEC), Génomique, Environnement, Immunité, Santé, Thérapeutique (GEIST FR CNRS 3503)-Institut d'Epidémiologie Neurologique et de Neurologie Tropicale-Université de Limoges (UNILIM), Unité Fonctionnelle Registre Général des Cancers du Limousin (UFRGC), CHU Limoges, Service de Santé au Travail [CHU Limoges], Laboratoire de Biostatistique et d'Informatique Médicale, Université de Limoges (UNILIM), and Service de l'Information Médicale et de l'Évaluation [CHU Limoges] (SIME)
- Subjects
Rural Population ,endocrine system diseases ,Epidemiology ,Disease ,MESH: Epilepsy, Generalized ,Epilepsy ,MESH: Health Surveys ,0302 clinical medicine ,MESH: Rural Population ,Risk Factors ,MESH: Risk Factors ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,MESH: Child ,MESH: Neurologic Examination ,Medicine ,MESH: Incidence ,030212 general & internal medicine ,Child ,MESH: Developing Countries ,Neurologic Examination ,MESH: Aged ,MESH: Middle Aged ,Incidence ,MESH: Infant, Newborn ,Electroencephalography ,Middle Aged ,MESH: Infant ,3. Good health ,Laos ,Child, Preschool ,MESH: Epilepsy ,Epilepsy, Generalized ,Medical emergency ,Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Adolescent ,03 medical and health sciences ,MESH: Cross-Sectional Studies ,MESH: Electroencephalography ,Humans ,Developing Countries ,Aged ,MESH: Adolescent ,MESH: Humans ,business.industry ,MESH: Questionnaires ,MESH: Child, Preschool ,Infant, Newborn ,Infant ,MESH: Adult ,Rural district ,medicine.disease ,Health Surveys ,eye diseases ,MESH: Epilepsies, Partial ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,MESH: Laos ,Family medicine ,[SDV.SPEE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Santé publique et épidémiologie ,Epilepsies, Partial ,sense organs ,Neurology (clinical) ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery - Abstract
Purpose: To assess the prevalence of epilepsy in a rural district of Lao PDR and to describe the clinical and epidemiological profile of the disease. Methods: Door-to-door screening was performed on the entire population of 8 randomly selected villages in the Hinheub district, using an internationally validated and standardized questionnaire. Additional passive case detection was performed through village key informants. Suspected epilepsy patients identified by the questionnaire were revisited and examined by an experienced neurologist on two follow-up visits. The confirmation of epilepsy was based only on an in-depth clinical examination. Electroencephalograms were performed at the district health care center. Results: In the 8 villages, 277 suspected cases of epilepsy were identified among 4,310 interviewed subjects; 194 of whom (70%) underwent a clinical examination by a neurologist during the first visit while 65 of 83 remaining suspected cases were seen on the second confirmation visit. Twenty-seven persons with epilepsy were identified. Six additional patients were diagnosed in 219 self-referred subjects. An overall prevalence of 7.7 cases of epilepsy per thousand inhabitants was calculated (95% CI 5.3–10.7). Generalized epilepsy (21 cases, 63.6%) was commoner than partial epilepsy (9 cases, 27.3%). The remaining 3 cases (9.1%) were not-classifiable as either generalized or partial. EEG abnormal findings were found in 12 of the 24 patients (50.0%) who had an EEG registration. Conclusions: This is the first study in Lao PDR to estimate the prevalence of epilepsy. Compared to Western countries it shows a pattern towards a higher prevalence.
- Published
- 2006
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