Estimating the Non-Monetary Burden of Neurocysticercosis in Mexico

Abstract

BackgroundNeurocysticercosis (NCC) is a major public health problem in many developing countries where health education, sanitation, and meat inspection infrastructure are insufficient. The condition occurs when humans ingest eggs of the pork tapeworm Taenia solium, which then develop into larvae in the central nervous system. Although NCC is endemic in many areas of the world and is associated with considerable socio-economic losses, the burden of NCC remains largely unknown. This study provides the first estimate of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) associated with NCC in Mexico.MethodsDALYs lost for symptomatic cases of NCC in Mexico were estimated by incorporating morbidity and mortality due to NCC-associated epilepsy, and morbidity due to NCC-associated severe chronic headaches. Latin hypercube sampling methods were employed to sample the distributions of uncertain parameters and to estimate 95% credible regions (95% CRs).FindingsIn Mexico, 144,433 and 98,520 individuals are estimated to suffer from NCC-associated epilepsy and NCC-associated severe chronic headaches, respectively. A total of 25,341 (95% CR: 12,569–46,640) DALYs were estimated to be lost due to these clinical manifestations, with 0.25 (95% CR: 0.12–0.46) DALY lost per 1,000 person-years of which 90% was due to NCC-associated epilepsy.ConclusionThis is the first estimate of DALYs associated with NCC in Mexico. However, this value is likely to be underestimated since only the clinical manifestations of epilepsy and severe chronic headaches were included. In addition, due to limited country specific data, some parameters used in the analysis were based on systematic reviews of the literature or primary research from other geographic locations. Even with these limitations, our estimates suggest that healthy years of life are being lost due to NCC in Mexico.

One world health: Socioeconomic burden and parasitic disease control priorities

“…However this may be an over estimate as it is somewhat higher than the estimate for the burden of epilepsy (2.45 DALYs per 1000 person years ) in the Cameroon (Bhattarai et al, 2012).…”

“…In the Eastern Cape of South Africa, the annual monetary burden of cysticercosis has been estimated at between US $ 18.6 million and US $ 34.2 million (Carabin et al, 2006). In Mexico is has been estimated that neurocysticercosis results in 0.25 DALYs per 1000 person years (Bhattarai et al, 2012). With a population of 114 million this represents about 28,500 DALYs per year due to neurocysticercosis.…”

Taenia solium Taeniasis and Cysticercosis in Southeast Asia

“…In addition to neurological symptoms, neurocysticercosis can contribute to childhood learning disabilities, functional loss from resultant motor weakness, sensory deficits or chronic pain, early onset dementia, neuropsychiatric manifestations, and social stigmatization, thereby leading to reduced human productivity and economic losses. [22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Several cases of accidental drowning and burns have also been linked to epileptic seizures. 29,30 However, from the perspective of disease control and eradication, taeniasis cases are of importance as they play a key role in perpetuating the T. solium life cycle.…”

Agricultural Impact of Porcine Cyisticercosis in Africa: A Review

“…In response to the WHO's effort to estimate the global burden of neurocysticercosis, four comprehensive studies have reported estimates of burdens of T. solium cysticercosis [4][5][6][7]. While three of the studies estimated the economic burden of cysticercosis, each focusing on a specific country [4,5,7], a global extensive systematic review of literature found that the frequency of neurocysticercosis in people with epilepsy was consistent across endemic countries.…”

“…While three of the studies estimated the economic burden of cysticercosis, each focusing on a specific country [4,5,7], a global extensive systematic review of literature found that the frequency of neurocysticercosis in people with epilepsy was consistent across endemic countries. The pooled estimate was 29.0% (95%CI: 22.9%-35.5%) [6].…”