Neuroepidemiology
Volume 16, Issue 2, 1997, Pages 94-98

Prevalence of epilepsy in a migrant population near quito, ecuador (Article)

Basch E.M. , Cruz M.E. , Tapia D. , Cruz A.
  • a Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
  • b College of Health Sciences, San Francisco de Quito University, Limoges, France, Ecuadorian Academy of Ncuroscicnces, Quito, Ecuador
  • c Ecuadorian Academy of Ncuroscicnces, Quito, Ecuador
  • d Limoges University Medical School, Limoges, France

Abstract

A census, uniform screening questionnaire and simple screening neurologic examination were administered door to door to the 221 residents of Paluguillo, a rural migrant community near Quito, Ecuador. This protocol was pretested to assure a high level of sensitivity for detecting major neurologic diseases in both children and adults. Of the participants, 119 (54%) had responses or findings suggesting the presence of neurologic disease, and, in particular, 53 (24%) had responses suggestive of epilepsy. These individuals were then examined by neurologists using fixed diagnostic criteria. The prevalence ratio for epilepsy was found to be 22.6/1,000. The results of this survey support the conclusion that epilepsy has a higher prevalence in rural areas of socioeconomically deprived countries than it does in industrialized nations. © 1997 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Author Keywords

Epilepsy Screening Ecuador

Index Keywords

male neurologic disease female rural area normal human Ecuador socioeconomics mass screening prevalence epilepsy Article developing country human adult Adolescent Child
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-0031055593&doi=10.1159%2f000109676&partnerID=40&md5=c7a388bce375e52a4c73cca751e59ff6
DOI: 10.1159/000109676
ISSN: 02515350
Cited by: 14
Original Language: English