Epilepsy following non-missile head injury among African people in Dar es Salaam: a retrospective clinical analysis study

Abstract

Over a period of 2 years, 26 subjects with epilepsy following non-missile head injury were referred to the neurology clinic at Muhimbili Medical Centre. Dar es Salaam. The mean age was 28.5 yr. Twenty of these subjects were males. Sixteen (62%) were victims of road traffic accidents, six (23%) had direct blows of the head and four (15%) had fallen from heights. The first late seizure occurred 2 weeks after injury in all subjects. Fifty-eight per cent had the first late seizure between the third and seventh month after injury. Only 8% had the first seizure after 1 year of injury. Post-traumatic amnesia of over 24 h was the commonest recorded complication and occurred in 58% of subjects. Other complications were: depressed fracture (31%), acute intracranial haematoma (27%) and early seizures (12%). Twenty percent of subjects had no complications. The role of the head injury complications as a factor in increasing the risk of late epilepsy as well as individual susceptibility to seizures is discussed.