Epilepsy in a health district in North-West Cameroon: Clinical characteristics and treatment gap

Epidemiology of epilepsy and relationship with onchocerciasis prevalence in villages of the Ntui Health District of Cameroon

“…Regarding epilepsy treatment, the proportion of PWE having access to regular ASM in this study (52.2%) was lower than the 60.9% found earlier in other villages of the Mbam and Sanaga river valleys [ 30 ]. Furthermore, in the North-West region of Cameroon, Angwafor et al reported that although ASM was taken by 85% of PWE, most were receiving inappropriate treatment or were non-adherent, hence the high treatment gap of 80% [ 8 ]. This attests to the wide treatment gap that still exists in Cameroonian villages, contributing to poor seizure control and unfavorable prognosis of epilepsy in such settings [ 31 ].…”

“…A previous study found an annual incidence of epilepsy of 171 per 100,000 persons in some areas in Cameroon [ 7 ]. In these areas, the treatment gap reportedly remains high (80%) which is likely related to the high levels of stigma [ 8 , 9 ]. Among other causes, parasitic infections such as malaria, toxoplasmosis, neurocysticercosis, and onchocerciasis constitute the most important risk factors for epilepsy in tropical Africa [ 4 , 10 – 12 ].…”

Quality of Life and Associated Factors of HIV Patients Under Treatment with First Line Regimens in Public Hospitals in Amhara Region, North-West Ethiopia

“…In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), about three fifths (59%) of women and girls under treatment continued to be transferred to more complicated treatment procedures in 2019. 7 Though young women in SSA constituted only 10% of the total population, they accounted for 24% of new HIV infections and did not have a good quality of life status in 2019. 8…”

An aqueous extract of Khaya senegalensis (Desv.) A. Juss. (Meliaceae) prevents seizures and reduces anxiety in kainate-treated rats: modulation of GABA neurotransmission, oxidative stress, and neuronal loss in the hippocampus

“…The highest prevalence was reported in the Sanaga-Mbam region, with 47.6% of the population having epilepsy. As a result, epilepsy represents the second most common reason for consultation in neurology (16%) in Cameroon, clearly making it a major public health concern ( Mapoure et al., 2015 ; Angwafor et al., 2021 ; Morin et al., 2021 ). Of all types of epilepsy, temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) accounts for 70–80% of adult epilepsies and is highly drug-resistant ( Lévesque et Avoli, 2013 ; D'Alessio et al., 2020 ; Kandeda et al., 2021b ; Kandeda et al., 2022 ).…”