Epidemiologie de I'Epilepsie au Senegal

Abstract

The first study of epilepsy in Senegal shows a prevalence rate of about 3-8 per 1000. The majority of the patients present with grand mal attacks. The other varieties of epilepsy are probably not rare but they are infrequent in this series for two reasons. First, they are difficult to detect during an interview and. second, they do not present for medical consultation. The causes of epileptic fits in the Senegalese Africans include symptomatic epilepsy, infective aetiology, intracranial masses for example, tuberculoma, cerebrovascular insufficiency, protein deficiency, or it may be idiopathic. The frequency of genetically determined epilepsy is not known and the psycho sociological approach to the problem is inadequate. The African epileptic responds very well to barbiturate therapy but there is a pressing need for the education of the community including doctors, nurses, social workers and particularly those who are in constant touch with the epileptic.