Risk factors for childhood epilepsy: a case-control study from Irbid, Jordan.
OBJECTIVE
The goal of this case-control study is to identify the significance of certain risk factors for epilepsy in a population of epileptic children in Northern Jordan. The risk factors examined are febrile convulsions, head trauma, central nervous system infections, abnormal perinatal history, family history and parental consanguinity.


METHODS
We designed a case-control study for patients attending the outpatient neurology clinic of Princess Rahma Teaching Hospital in Irbid, Jordan during a 7-month period. Controls were selected, matched for age and sex, from a group of non-epileptic patients attending the general paediatrics outpatient clinic in the same hospital and during the same period. Data about the investigated risk factors were obtained by personal interview and review of the medical records and were analysed statistically for significance.


RESULTS
The total number of participants was 200 patients and controls each. History of febrile convulsions, head trauma, abnormal perinatal history and family history showed a statistically significant increase risk for developing epilepsy. Central nervous system infections and parental consanguinity did not add to the risk of developing epilepsy.


CONCLUSIONS
Positive family history for epilepsy, head trauma, febrile convulsions and abnormal perinatal history were shown to have a statistically significant association with epilepsy in patients attending Princess Rahma Teaching Hospital in Northern Jordan. Although consanguinity is widely practised in Jordan, it appears that it does not increase the risk of epilepsy probably due to the small contribution of monogenic recessive epilepsies to the population with epilepsy.
Daoud
A S
AS
Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan. daoud@just.edu.jo
Batieha
A
A
Bashtawi
M
M
El-Shanti
H
H
D016022:Case-Control Studies; D020805:Central Nervous System Viral Diseases / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000150:complications; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000145:classification / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007597:Jordan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking / Q000379:methods; D016017:Odds Ratio; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D003294:Seizures, Febrile / Q000150:complications; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed