Table 3.
Proximate causes of active convulsive epilepsy in five sites in Africa
| Characteristics | Agincourt, South Africa (n = 331) | Ifakara, Tanzania (n = 460) | Iganga, Uganda (n = 241) | Kilifi, Kenya (n = 766) | Kintampo, Ghana (n = 372) | Total (n = 2,170) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adverse perinatal events (%)a | 11 (3.3) | 22 (4.8) | 11 (4.6) | 34 (4.4) | 43 (11.6) | 121 (5.6) |
| Acute encephalopathy (%) | 6 (1.8) | 4 (0.9) | 32 (13.3) | 162 (21.2) | 5 (1.3) | 209 (9.6) |
| All head injuries (%) | 35 (10.6) | 20 (4.4) | 11 (4.6) | 93 (12.1) | 92 (24.7) | 251 (11.6) |
| Head injury before seizure onset (%) | 10 (3.0) | 8 (1.7) | 0 | 27 (3.5) | 9 (2.4) | 54 (2.5) |
| Sickle cell disease (%) | 2 (0.6) | 1 (0.2) | 0 | 2 (0.3) | 2 (0.5) | 7 (0.3) |
| Hypertension (%) | 25 (7.6) | 2 (0.4) | 1 (0.4) | 8 (1.0) | 1 (0.3) | 37 (1.7) |
| Stroke (%) | 11 (3.3) | 1 (0.2) | 1 (0.4) | 3 (0.4) | 2 (0.6) | 18 (0.8) |
| Drinks alcohol | 35 (10.6) | 43 (9.4) | 9 (3.7) | 44 (5.7) | 65 (17.5) | 196 (9.0) |
a
Adverse perinatal events were considered reliable only in those whose seizures began before 18 years.