title: Estimation of the prevalence of epilepsy in the Benin region of Zinvié using the capture-recapture method.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The prevalence of epilepsy was estimated in two villages of 3134 inhabitants, in Benin, in April and May 1997 using the capture-recapture method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Information was obtained from (i) a door-to-door cross-sectional study, (ii) a non-medical source consisting of key informants (traditional practitioners, teachers, village leaders, and religious representatives) and (iii) a medical source through evaluation of medical records in health centres. In all the three situations, the diagnosis of epilepsy was confirmed by a neurologist.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The door-to-door survey found 50 epileptics, i.e. a prevalence of 15.9 per 1000. The non-medical source found 26 patients. The medical source found only four patients. In total, 66 epileptics were found by combining the three sources, giving a prevalence of 21.1 per 1000. After application of the capture-recapture method, the estimated number of cases from the door-to-door survey and non-medical source was 105, and 110 cases when the medical source was considered as well. The respective prevalences were 33.5 per 1000, and 35.1 per 1000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The door-to-door survey has been usefully improved by using key informants. The epilepsy prevalence estimate found by capture-recapture is clearly higher than that found by traditional cross-sectional methods, and could better depict the frequency of epilepsy in Africa.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neurological Epidemiology and Tropical Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Limoges, France.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Debrock
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Preux
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Houinato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Druet-Cabanac
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kassa
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adjien
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Avode
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Boutros-Toni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dumas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001541:Benin / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population