The characteristics of epilepsy in a largely untreated population in rural Ecuador.

Placencia, M.; Sander, Josemir W.; Román, Mario Pavel Díaz; Madera, A.; Crespo, Francisco de Asís Pérez; S, Cascante; Shorvon, Simon

doi:10.1136/jnnp.57.3.320

Cited by 108 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Previous papers ad dressing the problem of the EEG findings and the risk of chronic epilepsy did not yield sig nificant results [4,15,17], While a negative association between the prospect for seizure control and the number, frequency or duration of the seizures before therapy has been consistently reported [4,6,17,21], the present study showed a lack of any such association between seizure outcome and the number of seizures before the begin ning of treatment, in agreement with Sillanpaa [6], Therefore, while there is no doubt that the prognosis for seizure control is inversely pro portional to the disease duration, the role of early treatment has not been yet resolved [10]. On the other hand, the outcome of epilepsy might simply mirror the natural history of the disease which may be inherently more or less severe: the high rate of spontaneous inactivity seen in patients never treated [22] would offer circumstantial evidence in favour of this statement. The conflicting results, however, could be related to a lack of uniformity in methodology, case selection and inclusion (type of epilepsy, age groups considered, etc.)…”

Section: Prognosis Of Childhood Epilepsymentioning

confidence: 70%

Prognosis of Childhood Epilepsy: A Community-Based Study in Copparo, Italy

et al. 1996

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We performed a community-based study among children and adolescents with idiopathic and cryptogenic epilepsy and onset of the seizures between 0 and 19 years of age on the prognosis of being seizure-free. The study population was recruited during a descriptive investigation in the Local Health Service of Copparo (USL 34), Ferrara, Northern Italy. We included 111 patients (61 males and 50 females). The average length of follow-up was 18.8 years (ranging from 7 to 24 years). The cumulative probability of being in remission was 81.2% at 15 years after onset and the estimated percentage of patients in remission without therapy was 56 % for the same time period. At 15 years after the onset of epilepsy, approximately 20% of patients continued to have seizures; nearly 25% continued to take antiepileptic drugs but had been free of seizures for at least 5 years; nearly 56% had been without seizures and free of medication for at least 5 years. Seizure type, gender, age at onset of the illness, epileptic abnormalities on EEG, family history of convulsive disorders, number and frequency of seizures prior to the start of treatment were found not to be helpful as prognostic factors. This community study, carried out on patients without the well known factors that adversely affect prognosis, confirms that the prospect of seizure control and for withdrawal of therapy is (generally) good.

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Section: Prognosis Of Childhood Epilepsymentioning

confidence: 70%

Prognosis of Childhood Epilepsy: A Community-Based Study in Copparo, Italy

et al. 1996

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“…In practice, there has been no agreement on an absolute number of seizures required for them to be considered recurrent. A few researchers have defined the term "epilepsy" to include patients with a single seizure, [27][28][29] and a few have required three unprovoked seizures. 30,31 Most recent clinical and epidemiologic studies have required two unprovoked seizures as a minimal criterion for the diagnosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk of Recurrent Seizures after Two Unprovoked Seizures

Hauser

Rich

Lee³

et al. 1998

N Engl J Med

353

162

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“…solium , and to answer a 14-question neurologic survey to screen for a history of seizures and headaches (appendix); the survey was completed by a parent or legal guardian if the participant was less than 12 years old. This survey was developed in Ecuador and later validated in Peru [11, 13–15]. We offered in-home clinical evaluation by a neurologist to all participants who screened positive for a history of seizures or severe headaches.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Prevalence of Asymptomatic Neurocysticercosis in an Endemic Rural Community in Peru

Moyano¹,

O’Neal²,

Ayvar³

et al. 2016

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

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BackgroundNeurocysticercosis is a common helminthic infection of the central nervous system and an important cause of adult-onset epilepsy in endemic countries. However, few studies have examined associations between neurologic symptoms, serology and radiographic findings on a community-level.MethodologyWe conducted a population-based study of resident’s ≥2 years old in a highly endemic village in Peru (pop. 454). We applied a 14 -question neurologic screening tool and evaluated serum for antibodies against Taenia solium cysticercosis using enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (LLGP-EITB). We invited all residents ≥18 years old to have non-contrast computerized tomography (CT) of the head.Principal findingsOf the 385 residents who provided serum samples, 142 (36.9%) were seropositive. Of the 256 residents who underwent CT scan, 48 (18.8%) had brain calcifications consistent with NCC; 8/48 (17.0%) reported a history of headache and/or seizures. Exposure to T. solium is very common in this endemic community where 1 out of 5 residents had brain calcifications. However, the vast majority of people with calcifications were asymptomatic.ConclusionThis study reports a high prevalence of NCC infection in an endemic community in Peru and confirms that a large proportion of apparently asymptomatic residents have brain calcifications that could provoke seizures in the future.

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The characteristics of epilepsy in a largely untreated population in rural Ecuador.

Abstract: A house-

Cited by 108 publications

References 27 publications

Prognosis of Childhood Epilepsy: A Community-Based Study in Copparo, Italy

Prognosis of Childhood Epilepsy: A Community-Based Study in Copparo, Italy

Risk of Recurrent Seizures after Two Unprovoked Seizures

High Prevalence of Asymptomatic Neurocysticercosis in an Endemic Rural Community in Peru

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