High prevalence of epilepsy in Northern Rwanda: Exploring gender differences.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the prevalence of lifetime epilepsy varies widely between subregions and is higher in rural compared to urban regions. Observed versus expected numbers of patients with epilepsy (PwE) in the northern province of Rwanda did not match the prevalence of 49‰ reported in 2005 in Rwanda. We report a confirmatory prevalence study focused on gender-specific observations.

Methods

A cross-sectional door-to-door approach was used in three rural villages. First, epilepsy screening using the Kinyarwanda version of the Limoges questionnaire was performed. Second, confirmation of epilepsy diagnosis was completed by trained physicians.

Results

In total, 2681 persons (56.14% female) were screened. Of 168 positively screened, 128 persons were d

SUBMITTER: Dedeken P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8613444 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature