Abstract
Epilepsy, a neurological condition which affects individuals of all ages has been widely reported to be caused by parasitic, fungal, bacterial or viral infectious diseases of the Central Nervous System (CNS). Taenia solium infection otherwise known as neurocysticercosis in taeniasis endemic zones, Onchocerca volvulus infection in onchocerciasis meso/hyperendemic areas in Africa and other infectious agents have been highly incriminated in different parts of the world. Epilepsy remains an important but neglected public health problem in many countries. Ngie sub division is endemic for onchocerciasis and the people are highly involved in pig farming and pork consumption. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of epilepsy in Ngie, investigate its association with Taenia solium infection as well as other risk factors.
Highlights
Epilepsy, defined as “recurrent unprovoked seizures that occur due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain” [1], is one of the most common neurological conditions worldwide
A study by Wanji, et al [15] revealed that the Momo valley where Ngie is situated, was hyper-endemic for onchocerciasis with over 20% palpable nodule prevalence and above 60% microfilaridermia in all ten communities where screening was performed before the introduction of Ivermectin Mass Drug Administration (IVM-MDA) by the African Program for Onchocerciasis Control (APOC)
A high prevalence of epilepsy was observed in a selection of clusters in Ngie with varying cluster-specific levels of prevalence
Summary
Epilepsy, defined as “recurrent unprovoked seizures that occur due to abnormal electrical activity in the brain” [1], is one of the most common neurological conditions worldwide. The International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) and International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) in 2005 as well as the World Health Organization [1,3], reported that about 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy with almost 80% of these people living in low- and middle-income countries [3]. It is a major health problem in Central and West Africa [4,5] with prevalence estimates (based on door-to-door surveys) ranging between 22.1 per 1,000 in West Africa to 64.8 per 1,000 in Central Africa. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of epilepsy in Ngie, investigate its association with Taenia solium infection as well as other risk factors
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