Abstract
BackgroundThe ongoing epidemiological transition in Mexico minimizes the relative impact of neurocysticercosis (NC) on public health. However, hard data on the disease frequency are not available.MethodologyAll clinical records from patients admitted in the Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia (INNN) at Mexico City in 1994 and 2004 were revised. The frequencies of hospitalized NC patients in neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry services, as well as NC mortality from 1995 through 2009, were retrieved. Statistical analyses were made to evaluate possible significant differences in frequencies of NC patients' admission between 1994 and 2004, and in yearly frequencies of NC patients' hospitalization and death between 1995 and 2009.Principal FindingsNC frequency in INNN is not significantly different in 1994 and 2004. Between these two years, clinical severity of the cases diminished and the proportion of patients living in Mexico City increased. Yearly frequencies of hospitalization in neurology and psychiatry services were stable, while frequencies of hospitalization in neurosurgery service and mortality significantly decreased between 1995 and 2009.ConclusionsOur findings show a stable tendency of hospital cases during the last decade that should encourage to redouble efforts to control this ancient disease.
Highlights
Neurocysticercosis (NC) is a life-threatening and costly parasitic disease, endemic in most non-developed countries and increasing in developed world [1,2,3,4,5]
A partial report including only patients hospitalized at Instituto Nacional de Neurologia y Neurocirugia (INNN), Mexico, showed no statistically significant decrease of NC frequency between 1995 and 2001 [6], transversal surveys in rural communities indicate the persistence of human NC [7,8] and porcine cysticercosis in rural pigs [9,10]
We show that neurocysticercosis frequency has not significantly changed between 1994 and 2009 among patients attending the Instituto Nacional de Neurologıa y Neurocirugıa, Mexico City, the principal Mexican neurological center
Summary
Neurocysticercosis (NC) is a life-threatening and costly parasitic disease, endemic in most non-developed countries and increasing in developed world [1,2,3,4,5]. A partial report including only patients hospitalized at INNN, Mexico, showed no statistically significant decrease of NC frequency between 1995 and 2001 (from 2.4 to 1.8%) [6], transversal surveys in rural communities indicate the persistence of human NC (prevalence.9%) [7,8] and porcine cysticercosis in rural pigs (up to 30%) [9,10] In spite of these data, the epidemiological transition occurring in Mexico, with increased diagnosis of metabolic, neoplastic and degenerative diseases [11], could lead us to disregard the importance of NC in Mexico [12]. Hard data on the disease frequency are not available
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