title: Prevalence of epilepsy its treatment gap and knowledge, attitude and practice of its population in sub-urban Senegal an ILAE/IBE/WHO study.
abstract: A door-to-door survey was used to determine the prevalence of epilepsy among 4500 people within the Pikine Health District (population 480,000) Senegal. Prevalence was 14.2/1000, and 23.4% of all people with epilepsy had never received appropriate treatment. Figures for the prevalence had increased since a previous survey in 1989. In parallel a study of knowledge attitude and practice was performed in the same district. Salient findings were that: two-thirds of interviewees had at some time witnessed a seizure, 51% agreed when asked if epilepsy is caused by evil spirits, 35% said epilepsy is contagious, only about 18% said that traditional therapy is best, 60% would not mind their child to play with a child with epilepsy but only 32% would agree if their child would want to marry a person with epilepsy.
authors.affiliation: Clinique Neurologie, Hopital Universitaire de Fann, BP 5035, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: N F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Ndoye
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Sow
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Diop
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sessouma
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Séne-Diouf
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boissy
authors.forename: Issa
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wone
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Touré
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ndiaye
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ndiaye
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: de Boer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mandlhate
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Meinardi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Prilipko
authors.forename: J W A S
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Sander
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002391:Catchment Area, Health; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology; D013383:Suburban Population; D013483:Superstitions; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires