Epilepsy in Qatar: Causes, treatment, and outcome

Abstract

To our knowledge, this is the first detailed information about epilepsy in Qatar. The geographical origin of patients adds to the heterogeneity of this disorder. Neurocysticercosis should be in the etiological differential diagnosis of epilepsy in patients coming from Southeast Asian countries, despite the fact that it is not endemic to Qatar. The choice of antiepileptic drugs is influenced by the availability of individual agents in the patients' native countries but had no bearing on the final seizure outcome.

Prevalence and Incidence of Drug-Resistant Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in Qatar

“…Based on this hospital-based observational study, we estimated a Qatar prevalence of TLE-HS of 6.54/1000 × 0.108 = 0.71 patients per 1000 people, yielding a calculated estimate of 0.71/1000 × 2 682 556 = 1905 patients. In one retrospective study of 468 patients with epilepsy from Qatar, 5 7% of patients had HS. Based on this Qatari study, we estimated a Qatar prevalence of TLE-HS of 6.54/1000 × 0.07 = 0.46 patients per 1000 people, yielding a calculated estimate of 0.46/1000 × 2 682 556 = 1234 patients.…”

“…The pathology study from Germany 26 was limited because it included surgery patients only. The MRI studies from France 27 and Qatar 5 were also limited, like other MRI studies (see above). Despite inherent limitations and sources of bias, the above studies give a reasonable estimate of the Qatar prevalence of TLE-HS (0.46-0.92 patients per 1000 people or 1234 to 2468 current patients).…”

“…According to the hospital-based observational study from France, 27 we estimated an incidence of 50 (incidence of epilepsy) × 0.108 = 5.4 to 61(incidence of epilepsy) × 0.108 = 6.5, or 5.4 to 6.5 patients per 100 000 people, per year. Finally, depending on the Qatari study, 5 we estimated an incidence of 50 (incidence of epilepsy) × 0.07 = 3.5 to 61 (incidence of epilepsy) × 0.07 = 4.2, or 3.5 to 4.2 patients per 100 000 people, per year. These investigations and calculations help provide a reasonable estimate of the Qatar incidence of TLE-HS from 3.5 to 6.5 patients per 100 000 people, per year; a calculated annual occurrence of 3.5/100 000 × 2 682 556 = 93 to 6.5/100 000 × 2 682 556 = 93 = 174 new patients with TLE-HS per year in Qatar.…”

“…Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) due to hippocampal sclerosis (HS), also known as mesial temporal sclerosis (MTS), is a common occurrence; this condition is often resistant to antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), but responds well to surgery. 1,2 However, information on the epidemiology of TLE-HS in developing countries is rare, if not nonexistent in Qatar and the Middle East [3][4][5] ; in addition, epilepsy surgery (ES) is not available and is not practiced in many developing countries, particularly in the Middle East region where only 2 countries, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and Lebanon, manage an ES program.…”

“…Qatar's population of 2 682 556 people as of June 30, 2019, 11 represents a unique mixture of native Qataris (10.5 % of total population, 2019) and a large number of expatriates (89.5% of total population by nationality, 2019), 12 an image very similar to the neighboring population of the KSA; most expatriates are, as in KSA, from other countries: Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. 5,[11][12][13] There are no health care databases or other direct methods available to extract data on the epidemiology of TLE-HS in Qatar, and information on this important condition is also lacking in the region.…”