Clinical features, proximate causes, and consequences of active convulsive epilepsy inAfrica

SummaryPurposeEpilepsy is common in sub‐SaharanAfrica (SSA), but the clinical features and consequences are poorly characterized. Most studies are hospital‐based, and few studies have compared different ecological sites inSSA. We described active convulsive epilepsy (ACE) identified in cross‐sectional community‐based surveys inSSA, to understand the proximate causes, features, and consequences.MethodsWe performed a detailed clinical and neurophysiologic description ofACEcases identified from a community survey of 584,586 people using medical history, neurologic examination, and electroencephalography (EEG) data from five sites inAfrica:SouthAfrica;Tanzania;Uganda;Kenya; andGhana. The cases were examined by clinicians to discover risk factors, clinical features, and consequences of epilepsy. We used logistic regression to determine the epilepsy factors associated with medical comorbidities.Key FindingsHalf (51%) of the 2,170 people withACEwere children and 69% of seizures began in childhood. Focal features (EEG, seizure types, and neurologic deficits) were present in 58% ofACEcases, and these varied significantly with site. Status epilepticus occurred in 25% of people withACE. Only 36% received antiepileptic drugs (phenobarbital was the most common drug [95%]), and the proportion varied significantly with the site. Proximate causes ofACEwere adverse perinatal events (11%) for onset of seizures before 18 years; and acute encephalopathy (10%) and head injury prior to seizure onset (3%). Important comorbidities were malnutrition (15%), cognitive impairment (23%), and neurologic deficits (15%). The consequences ofACEwere burns (16%), head injuries (postseizure) (1%), lack of education (43%), and being unmarried (67%) or unemployed (57%) in adults, all significantly more common than in those without epilepsy.SignificanceThere were significant differences in the comorbidities across sites. Focal features are common inACE, suggesting identifiable and preventable causes. Malnutrition and cognitive and neurologic deficits are common in people withACEand should be integrated into the management of epilepsy in this region. Consequences of epilepsy such as burns, lack of education, poor marriage prospects, and unemployment need to be addressed.