Pediatric Epilepsy in West Africa: Prevalence, Causes, and Management

Abstract

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting over 50 million people worldwide. Global epilepsy prevalence has been reported to be the greatest in Africa, prevalent among children living in resource-poor areas compared with all other continents. In West Africa, a meta-analysis of epilepsy prevalence was quoted to be 13–15 per 1000 persons. As a result of the lack of specialists and electroencephalographic facilities, the type of seizures that are more likely reported in rural areas is generalized tonic-clonic seizures. A high prevalence of epilepsy in low- and middle-income countries has been identified with CNS infections due to viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections. Parasitic infections including malaria, onchocerciasis, cysticercosis, and toxocariasis are believed to account for up to 27% of pediatric epilepsy cases reported in Sub-Saharan Africa, of which onchocerciasis has been more documented as a parasitic cause of epilepsy in most of west Africa. The management of epilepsy in West Africa centers around the administration of anti-seizure medications when available, and an onchocerciasis control program that has reduced onchocerciasis-associated epilepsy in these countries. However, several management options put in place still seem insufficient to curb the disease prevalence, hence improved strategy for effective control of parasite-induced epilepsy in West Africa.