Prevalence of epilepsy its treatment gap and knowledge, attitude and practice of its population in sub-urban Senegal an ILAE/IBE/WHO study
N F Ndoye, A D Sow, A G Diop, B Sessouma, F Séne-Diouf, L Boissy, Issa Wone, K Touré, M Ndiaye, P Ndiaye, H de Boer, J Engel, C Mandlhate, H Meinardi, L Prilipko, J W A S Sander, N F Ndoye, A D Sow, A G Diop, B Sessouma, F Séne-Diouf, L Boissy, Issa Wone, K Touré, M Ndiaye, P Ndiaye, H de Boer, J Engel, C Mandlhate, H Meinardi, L Prilipko, J W A S Sander
Abstract
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.
Source: PubMed