Prevalence and risk factors for neurological disorders in children aged 6 months to 2 years in northern India.
OBJECTIVE
To study prevalence and risk factors for neurological disorders--epilepsy, global developmental delay, and motor, vision, and hearing defects--in children aged 6 months to 2 years in northern India.


METHODS
A two-stage community survey for neurological disorders was conducted in rural and urban areas of Lucknow. After initial screening with a new instrument, the Lucknow Neurodevelopment Screen, screen positives and a random proportion of screen negatives were validated using predefined criteria. Prevalence was calculated by weighted estimates. Demographic, socio-economic, and medical risk factors were compared between validated children who were positive and negative for neurological disorders by univariate and logistic regression analysis.


RESULTS
Of 4801 children screened (mean age [SD] 15.32mo [5.96]; 2542 males, 2259 females), 196 were positive; 190 screen positives and 269 screen negatives were validated. Prevalence of neurological disorders was 27.92 per 1000 (weighted 95% confidence interval 12.24-43.60). Significant risk factors (p≤0.01) for neurological disorders were higher age in months (p=0.010), lower mean number of appliances in the household (p=0.001), consanguineous marriage of parents (p=0.010), family history of neurological disorder (p=0.001), and infants born exceptionally small (parental description; p=0.009). On logistic regression, the final model included age (p=0.0193), number of appliances (p=0.0161), delayed cry at birth (p=0.0270), postneonatal meningoencephalitis (p=0.0549), and consanguinity (p=0.0801).


CONCLUSIONS
Perinatal factors, lower socio-economic status, and consanguinity emerged as predictors of neurological disorders. These factors are largely modifiable.
Department of Pediatrics, CSM Medical University, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. rashmik2005@gmail.com
Rashmi
R
Kumar
Anupama
A
Bhave
Roli
R
Bhargava
Girdhar G
GG
Agarwal
D002675:Child, Preschool; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003241:Consanguinity; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006311:Hearing Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology