title: Community-based epidemiological study of epilepsy in the Qena governorate in Upper Egypt, a door-to-door survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study is to estimate the epidemiological features of epilepsy in a representative governorate of Upper Egypt.
  
  
  METHODS
  A door-to-door community-based survey study was performed using a sample of 10 areas among various districts of the Qena governorate in Upper Egypt. Six were classified as rural areas, and the remaining four were classified as urban areas, with a total population of 8027 inhabitants. The population was screened using an epilepsy-screening questionnaire. Positive cases with suspected epilepsy were referred to Qena University Hospital to be further evaluated by a qualified neurologist and for further investigations, such as neuroimaging and electroencephalography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred patients had a confirmed diagnosis of epilepsy, with a lifetime prevalence of 12.46/1000. The active prevalence rate of epilepsy was 2.12/1000, while the incidence rate was 123/100000. Seventy-six percent of the patients had idiopathic epilepsies, while 24% had symptomatic epilepsy. Generalized epilepsies were more common (70.1%) than partial epilepsy (26.3%), meanwhile epilepsies with mixed seizure types were 2.6%. The most common seizure type was generalized tonic clonic seizures (51.8%). The age-specific prevalence rate of epilepsy was much higher in infancy and early childhood (62.5 and 37.04/1000, respectively), which regressed steadily with age. Idiopathic epilepsies were significantly more common in urban areas than in rural areas (P=0.01), while symptomatic epilepsies were more common in rural areas than in urban areas (P<0.005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Upper Egypt is characterized by a relatively high incidence and prevalence of epilepsy and epilepsy-related medical service, and more cultural education should be directed to those areas in Egypt.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sohag University Hospital, Sohag, Egypt.
authors.forename: Gharib
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fawi
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Eman M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Khedr
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Assiut University Hospital, Assiut, Egypt.
authors.forename: Noha Abo
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: El-Fetoh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Sohag University Hospital, Sohag, Egypt. Electronic address: Mohamed_hamdon@med.sohag.edu.eg.
authors.forename: Mohamed N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Thabit
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Qena University Hospital, Qena, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Abbass
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Qena University Hospital, Qena, Egypt.
authors.forename: Ahmad F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Zaki
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003241:Consanguinity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011897:Random Allocation; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Africa; Arab countries; Egypt; Epidemiology; Epilepsy