Prevalence of epilepsy its treatment gap and knowledge, attitude and practice of its population in sub-urban Senegal an ILAE/IBE/WHO study.
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.
Ndoye
N F
NF
Clinique Neurologie, Hopital Universitaire de Fann, BP 5035, Dakar, Senegal.
Sow
A D
AD
Diop
A G
AG
Sessouma
B
B
Séne-Diouf
F
F
Boissy
L
L
Wone
Issa
I
Touré
K
K
Ndiaye
M
M
Ndiaye
P
P
de Boer
H
H
Engel
J
J
Mandlhate
C
C
Meinardi
H
H
Prilipko
L
L
Sander
J W A S
JW
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