ArticleJournal of global health2012
An estimate of the prevalence of epilepsy in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic analysis.
Article in Journal of global health, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 45 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
45 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prevalence, incidence, and trends of epilepsy among children and adolescents in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Probing the Effects of N-Acetylglucosamine and Diazepam Combination on Oxidative Stress and Epileptogenesis-Associated Genes in Murine Brain.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Article
- High epilepsy prevalence and excess mortality in onchocerciasis-endemic counties of South Sudan: A call for integrated interventions.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding experience of women with epilepsy in Me'enit community, South West Ethiopia.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Prevalence of onchocerciasis and epilepsy in a Tanzanian region after a prolonged community-directed treatment with ivermectin.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Article
- Factors associated with contraceptive use among women with epilepsy: A cross-sectional study.Public health challenges · 2024Article
- Impact of annual community-directed treatment with ivermectin on the incidence of epilepsy in Mvolo, a two-year prospective study.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Article
- Case report: Novel variants cause developmental and epileptic encephalopathy in three unrelated families from Mali.Frontiers in genetics · 2024Article
- Prescription patterns and therapeutic gaps among persons with epilepsy in Southwestern Nigeria.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2024Article
- Exploration of health care providers' knowledge-based care and support given to family members and caregivers of people living with epilepsy.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Immunological Imbalances Associated with Epileptic Seizures in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.Brain sciences · 2023Review
- Perceived causes and management of epilepsy among rural community dwellers in Ghana: a qualitative synthesis.Frontiers in neurology · 2023Article
- Adherence to anti-seizure medications and associated factors among children with epilepsy at tertiary Hospital in Southwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.BMC neurology · 2022Article
- A mixed-methods, cross-sectional study of perceived stigma among Ugandans with epilepsy.African health sciences · 2022Article
- Quality of life and associated factors among patients with epilepsy at specialized hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia; 2019.PloS one · 2022Article
- Illness and Treatment Perceptions of Patients with Epilepsy Attending Treatment at a Tertiary Hospital in Addis Ababa - A Qualitative Exploration.Ethiopian journal of health sciences · 2021Article
- Health-related quality of life and associated factors among patients with epilepsy at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital, northwest Ethiopia.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2021Article
- Community Attitude Towards Epilepsy Patients and Associated Factors in South Achefer District, Northwest Ethiopia: A Mixed-Methods Study.Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment · 2021Article
- Community-based door to door census of suspected people living with epilepsy: empowering community drug distributors to improve the provision of care to rural communities in Cameroon.BMC public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundEpilepsy is a leading serious neurological condition worldwide and has particularly significant physical, economic and social consequences in Sub-Saharan Africa. This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of epilepsy prevalence in this region and how this varies by age and sex so as to inform understanding of the disease characteristics as well as the development of infrastructure, services and policies.
methodsA parallel systematic analysis of Medline, Embase and Global Health returned 32 studies that satisfied pre-defined quality criteria. Relevant data was extracted, tabulated and analyzed. We modelled the available information and used the UN population figures for Africa to determine the age-specific and overall burden of epilepsy.
resultsActive epilepsy was estimated to affect 4.4 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, whilst lifetime epilepsy was estimated to affect 5.4 million. The prevalence of active epilepsy peaks in the 20-29 age group at 11.5/1000 and again in the 40-49 age group at 8.2/1000. The lowest prevalence value of 3.1/1000 is seen in the 60+ age group. This binomial pattern is also seen in both men and women, with the second peak more pronounced in women at 14.6/1000.
conclusionThe high prevalence of epilepsy, especially in young adults, has important consequences for both the workforce and community structures. An estimation of disease burden would be a beneficial outcome of further research, as would research into appropriate methods of improving health care for and tackling discrimination against people with epilepsy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.