Table 1. Description of the studies included looking for an association between toxocariasis and epilepsy.
| PWE Ascertainment | PWOE | Exposure | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| References | Country | Study design | Sources | Epilepsy definition and classification | Confirmation | Sources | Matching Criteria | Examinations |
| Glickman et al., J Pediatr 1979 [29] | USA | Case-control | Pediatric Hospital | Alter et al., 1972 | Cases known by hospital | Outpatients or hospitalized controls | None | Sera Ab-ELISA |
| Arpino et al., Epilepsia 1990 [30] | Italy | Case-control | Pediatric Hospital | Not specified (“positive seizure history”) | Cases known by hospital | Pediatric Hospital | None | Sera Ab-ELISA |
| Nicoletti et al., Neurology 2002 [23] | Bolivia | Case-control | General population | ILAE 1993; ILAE 1981 | Neurologist | General population | Sex, age ± 5 years, same community | Sera Ab- ELISA, WB |
| Akyol et al., Seizure 2007 [39] | Turkey | Case-control | Hospital, consecutively enrolled | Not specified (“idiopathic epilepsy”); ILAE 1981 | Cases known by hospital | Volunteers, source not specified | None | Sera Ab-ELISA |
| Nicoletti et al., Epilepsia 2007 [24] | Burundi | Case-control | PWE identified by local health centers | ILAE 1993; ILAE 1981 | Neurologist | Controls coming to hospital for vaccination or PWE neighbors | Age ± 5 years, no blood relationship, same province | Sera WB |
| Nicoletti et al., Epilepsia 2008 [25] | Italy | Case-control | Epilepsy center, randomly selected | ILAE 1993; ILAE 1981 | Neurologist | Subjects who went to hospital for hematological check, consecutively enrolled | Group-matched by age | Sera WB |
| Winkler et al., Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2008 [26] | Tanzania | Case-control | Hospital, age > 10 years | WHO (1993), Winkler et al., 2007 | Neurologist | Relatives and volunteers | None | Sera Ab-ELISA, WB, CSF Ab- ELISA |
| Singh et al., Epilepsia 2012 [27] | India | Case-control | General population | ILAE 1993 | Epileptologist, EEG, MRI | General population | Sex, age ± 2 years for age > 10, age ± 1 year for age ≤ 10, same area | Sera Ab-ELISA, WB |
| El-Tantawy et al., Ajidm 2013 [31] | Egypt | Case-control | Pediatric Hospital | Cryptogenic epilepsy; ILAE Commission on Classification and Terminology, 2005–2009 | Cases known by hospital | Volunteers outpatients with no personal or family history of seizures | Age: three age groups (≤5 years, >5 to ≤ 10 years, > 10 to ≤ 14 years) | Sera Ab-ELISA |
| Zibaei et al., Hindawi 2013 [35] | Iran | Case-control | Hospital | Not specified (“idiopathic epilepsy”) ILAE 1981 | Cases known by hospital | Volunteers (healthcare workers or patients’ relatives) | None | Sera Ab-ELISA, WB |
| Kamuyu et al., PLOS NTD 2014 [32] | South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana | Case-control | General population | Edwards et al. 2008, ILAE 1993 | Neurologist | General population | Group-matched by age, same country | Sera Ab-ELISA |
Ab-ELISA, antibodies enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; CSF, cerebrospinal fluid; ILAE, International League Against Epilepsy; PWE, people with epilepsy; PWOE, people without epilepsy; WB, Western Blot; WHO, World Health Organization.