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epidemiology of epilepsy among elderly people in Al quseir city, Egypt

Research Authors
Hamdy N. El-Tallawya, Wafaa M. Farghalya, , Reda Badrya , Tarek A. Rageha, Ghaydaa A. Shehataa, Nabil Abdelhakeem.M b, Ahmed M. Abdelwaritha, Mahmoud R. Kandil
Research Journal
المؤتمر الدولى لوبائيات الأمراض العصبية فرنسا
Research Rank
3
Research Year
2012
Research Abstract

Older people face special challenges in living with and adjusting to epilepsy and seizures. Epilepsy in elderly people is one of the underestimated health problems in Egypt. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of epilepsy in elderly people in Al Quseir city- Red Sea Governate, Egypt and to estimate its magnitude of treatment gap. Methods: The study was a part of door to door study, including every door to screen all inhabitants in Al-Quseir city (33,818 inhabitants); by 3 specialists of neurology and 15 female social workers. Number of people ≥ 60 years is 2106 persons among whom we detected 13 cases with epilepsy. All suspected cases were subjected to detailed history, clinical examination, EEG, Neuroimaging studies. Results: The study revealed that life time prevalence of epilepsy is 6.2/1000, with highest peak during the eighth decade of life, while the prevalence of active epilepsy is 2.4/1000 population. The prevalence rate of epilepsy in elderly males is double that in elderly females. Epilepsy in elderly detected in this study is caused by symptomatic cause (30%, n=4), idiopathic (53.8%, n=7), and cryptogenic (15.4%, n=2). The annual incidence rate is 142.4/100,000. Focal epilepsy is the most frequently encountered type (84.6%). The treatment gap of epilepsy in elderly in Al Quseir city is 80%. Conclusion: epilepsy among elderly is an underestimated health problem in Egypt and treatment gap is high which necessitates developing health services in this locality.