title: Epilepsy and neurocysticercosis in rural Bolivia: a population-based survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the frequency of neurocysticercosis (NCC) in a well-defined prevalent cohort of epilepsy patients in the rural area of the Cordillera province.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a two-phase door-to-door neuroepidemiologic survey in a sample of 10,124 subjects in a rural area of the Cordillera Province, Bolivia, to detect the prevalence of the most common neurologic disorders including epilepsy. A team of health workers administered a standard screening instrument for neurologic diseases; subjects found positive at the screening phase underwent a complete neurologic examination. Epilepsy patients were diagnosed according to the definition proposed by the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE, 1993). Epilepsy patients identified this way underwent electroencephalographic recording, computed tomography (CT) scan, and serologic evaluation to detect antibodies against Taenia solium by enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of the survey, we detected 124 defined prevalent epilepsy patients. On the basis of the classification proposed by the ILAE in 1981, partial seizures were the most common type diagnosed (66 patients, 53.3%). Of the 124 patients, 105 underwent CT scan, and a serum sample was taken to detect antibodies against T. solium in 112 patients; for 97 patients, both neuroradiologic and serologic data were available. Considering radiologic, serologic, and clinical features, of these 124 patients, 34 (27.4%) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for definitive or probable NCC proposed in 2001. Of these 34 patients 24 (70.6%) had partial seizures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data confirm a high frequency of NCC among a well-defined prevalent cohort of epilepsy patients.
authors: Department of Neurosciences, University of Catania, Via S. Sofia no. 78, 95125 Catania, Italy. anicolt@unict.it
authors: Alessandra
authors: A
authors: Nicoletti
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Bartoloni
authors: Vito
authors: V
authors: Sofia
authors: Filippo
authors: F
authors: Bartalesi
authors: Josè Rosado
authors: JR
authors: Chavez
authors: Rimberto
authors: R
authors: Osinaga
authors: Franco
authors: F
authors: Paradisi
authors: Jean-Luc
authors: JL
authors: Dumas
authors: Victor C W
authors: VC
authors: Tsang
authors: Arturo
authors: A
authors: Reggio
authors: Andrew J
authors: AJ
authors: Hall
mesh_terms: D001838:Bolivia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020019:Neurocysticercosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*