Neurological Disorders in Libya: An Overview

Benamer, Hani Ts

doi:10.1159/000111575

Cited by 13 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…Our study provided high prevalence ratios for each index neurological disorder compared to several investigations done in developing countries and using similar designs (table 5) [15,16,17,18,19,20,21]. Comparing these other investigations to our study, the different inclusion criteria and environmental factors, multiethnicity, poor medical facilities, a lack of specialist confirmation and an insufficient number of aged individuals may be responsible for the lower prevalence of the index neurological disorders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

High Prevalence of Major Neurological Disorders in Two Albanian Communities: Results of a Door-to-Door Survey

et al. 2012

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Background: There are few epidemiological studies on neurological disorders in Albania. Methods: A door-to-door survey was undertaken in two geographical areas (Tirana and Saranda) with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Two random samples of the local population underwent a structured interview to ascertain headache, epilepsy, dementia, parkinsonism, multiple sclerosis, polyneuropathy, stroke and cerebral palsy. Each diagnosis was made using standard criteria for epidemiological studies and was confirmed by history, neurological examination and, where available, the review of personal medical records. Lifetime prevalence ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results: Of the 9,869 individuals screened (Tirana 4,953; Saranda 4,916), 4,867 were males aged 1–91 years (median 39 years) and 5,002 were females aged 1–96 years (median 37 years). Crude prevalence ratios (per 1,000) were: headache 241.9 (233.5–250.3), polyneuropathy 32.5 (29.0–36.0), epilepsy 14.2 (11.7–16.3), stroke 12.4 (10.2–14.6), dementia 9.6 (7.7–11.5), parkinsonism 8.0 (6.2–9.8), cerebral palsy 4.8 (3.4–6.2), and multiple sclerosis 0.3 (0.0–0.6). Prevalence varied with age and gender, with differences across diseases. Except for polyneuropathy (Tirana 39.8; Saranda 25.2), ratios were not different in the two study areas. Conclusions: The prevalence of selected neurological disorders in Albania is higher than in other countries. Differences may be explained by study design, population structure and/or genetic and environmental factors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 56%

High Prevalence of Major Neurological Disorders in Two Albanian Communities: Results of a Door-to-Door Survey

et al. 2012

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“…This is likely to have a negative impact on the quality of services available to patients especially as neuro-genetic diseases are common in Arab countries due to high rates of consanguineous marriages [13]. For example, it is estimated that neuro-genetic disorders represent 13% of neurological diseases in Libya which is almost equal to the number of Parkinson’s disease patients and seven times more than multiple sclerosis [5]. Although the current study does not address the issue of why there is a lack of these important services, lack of resources is unlikely to be the reason because some of these countries – such as Qatar and Libya – are oil rich.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, two community surveys of neurological disorders in Saudi Arabia reported a crude prevalence of 120.5 and 131 per 1,000 population for all forms of neurological diseases [3,4]. Another report estimated that there are 6,892 new neurological cases per year and a total of 11,908 neurological patients in 2006 in Libya [5]. A systematic review of the epidemiology of epilepsy in Arab countries estimated that there are 724,500 people with epilepsy living in the Arab world [6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurology Expertise and Postgraduate Training Programmes in the Arab World: A Survey

Benamer

2010

Eur Neurol

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Neurological disorders are increasingly recognised as a major public health problem, especially in the developing world. Having adequate neurology expertise to tackle this issue is essential. A 17-item survey was conducted to gather information about the number, training and location of neurologists and supportive facilities available to them in the 16 middle- and high-income Arab countries. Data about the availability of postgraduate training programmes was collected. Surveys were returned from all targeted countries. The population per neurologist ranges from 35,000 to just over two million, and the most neurologists are based in large cities. Most of the practising neurologists had received extensive training in neurology and/or passed specialty exams. The majority had all or part of their training abroad. Neuro-radiological and neuro-physiological investigations are generally available in most surveyed countries but neuro-genetics and neuro-immunology services are lacking. Neurology training programmes are available in ten Arab countries with a total of 504–524 trainees. The availability of neurologists, supportive services and training programmes varies between Arab countries. Further development of neurology expertise and local training programmes are needed.

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“…The report estimated that there is 6892 new neurological cases per year and a total of 11,908 neurological patients in 2006 in Libya ( a country of 5 million population) [9]. While it is difficult, if not impossible, to generalize using the Libyan estimate, it is tempting to guess that there are 441,008 new neurological patients and a total of 762,112 neurological patients in 2006 in the Arab world.…”

Section: Neurological Demandmentioning

confidence: 99%