Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine,
University of Ibadan/University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria | Department of Pediatrics, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital,
Welwyn Garden City Hertfordshire, UK
Note: [] Correspondence: Dr. IkeOluwa A. Lagunju, Department of
Pediatrics, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Tel.: +234 803 585
7326; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder, affecting
individuals in all age groups. It is estimated that there are about 50 million
people with epilepsy worldwide, of which about two-thirds are children and the
greatest burden is found in the developing world. There is little data on the
burden or pattern of epilepsy in the developing countries, particularly in
children living in sub-Saharan Africa. This study was carried out to determine
the pattern, predisposing factors and outcome of childhood epilepsy among
children seen at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. All new
cases of epilepsy seen consecutively over a period of 5 years in the Pediatric
Neurology clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria were
studied. Diagnosis of epilepsy was based on reliable eyewitness account and EEG
findings. Five hundred and forty children, 321 males and 219 females were
studied. Their ages ranged from 3 to 184 months with a mean age of 74.8 ±
47.9 months and median of 71.5 months. One third of the children had the first
afebrile seizure in the first year of life. Generalized epilepsy, found in
67.8% of cases was the predominant form of epilepsy in the study. Two
hundred and fifteen (39.8%) children had symptomatic epilepsy, with
intracranial infections and perinatal asphyxia as the leading underlying
causes. By the end of the first year, up to three quarters of the children had
defaulted from follow up. Epilepsy remains a common childhood neurological
disorder in Nigeria, with a large burden of symptomatic epilepsy.
