Prevalence of seizures and associated factors in children under five living in a deprived municipality of southern Brazil.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the frequency and distribution of seizure in children under five, living in a deprived community.


METHODS
This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in a probabilistic sample of 487 children aged 5 or less, resident in the rural and urban areas of São José do Norte, a poor municipality in southern Brazil, during the period 1998-99. Children were identified as having this disorder after the application of the three subsequent instruments, the screening questionnaire for epileptic seizures (SQES), the neurological diagnostic interview for epilepsy (NDIE) and the EEG. Statistical analysis included a multivariate analysis using Poisson regression. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated.


RESULTS
Diagnosis of epileptic seizures was confirmed in 22 children. Prevalence of seizure was 45.2/1000 (CI 2.9-6.8). Absence of tap water (PR 2.86; IC 1.15-7.10), and precarious housing (PR 2.50; CI 1.01-6.18) were significantly associated with the outcome.


CONCLUSIONS
Prevalence of seizure in this deprived population is extremely high and related to socio-economic conditions.
Abib
Cheple Roberto
CR
Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre, Rua Moron 490, 96200-450 Rio Grande, RS, Brazil. abib@vetorial.net
Mendoza-Sassi
Raúl A
RA
Bech-Nappi
Jaime
J
Stein
Airton Tetelbom
AT
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012640:Seizures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014038:Toilet Facilities; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014881:Water Supply