Childhood Secondary (Symptomatic) Epilepsy, Seizure Control, and Intellectual Handicap in a Nontropical Region of South Africa

Abstract

PURPOSE: To determine the prevalence of secondary (symptomatic) epilepsy and to ascertain levels of seizure control and intellectual function in a clinic population of children drawn from a poor community in a temperate region of South Africa. METHODS: Detailed review of the records of every child with recurrent seizures who attended a special epilepsy outpatient clinic during 1995. RESULTS: A total of 1,017 children was studied. In 432 (43%), there was historic, clinical, and radiologic evidence to suggest that epilepsy was symptomatic of underlying brain damage or defect. Acceptable seizure control was maintained with a single standard anticonvulsant drug (AED) in 65% of cases. In the 6 months preceding the study, 37% of the subjects had remained seizure free. Forty-seven percent of the study population were considered to be of subnormal intelligence. CONCLUSIONS: In a children's hospital outpatient population in the Western Cape region of South Africa, the prevalence of secondary epilepsy is higher than is found in developed countries. There is need within the community for preventive measures aimed at reducing the prevalence of perinatal insults, meningitis, tuberculosis, neurocysticercosis, and cerebral trauma.