Research Protocol for Measuring the Prevalence of Neurologic Disorders in Developing Countries

Abstract

Because of the scarcity of trained personnel in neurology in developing countries, we designed a protocol utilizing, in large part, non-doctor primary health care personnel for collecting data in a door-to-door survey to determine the prevalence of major neurologic diseases. A pilot study revealed the feasibility of a census, screening questionnaire, and simple neurologic examination successfully administered to 903 subjects in a rural community in Nigeria by non-doctor health care workers. Of 236 who were identified as likely to suffer from neurologic illness, 224 were examined by neurologists. Of those examined, 18% were normal, and 25% had nonneurologic illnesses. The prevalence ratios (per 1,000 population) for the most common noninfectious neurologic conditions encountered are: epilepsy 37; peripheral neuropathy 15; isolated perceptive deafness 9, and completed stroke 4.