Table 2. Baseline characteristics of randomized participants in both treatment arms.
| Phenobarbital + ivermectin n = 44 |
Phenobarbital alone n = 46 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Alur ethnic group, n (%) | 44 (100) | 46 (100) |
| Age in years, median (IQR) | 21 (14–27) | 23 (17–27) |
| Males, n (%) Females, n (%) |
26 (59.1) 18 (40.9) |
30 (65.2) 16 (34.8) |
| Weight in kg, median (IQR) | 46 (21–55) | 44 (23–56) |
| Generalized motor seizures, n (%) | 39 (88.6) | 46 (100.0) |
| Generalized motor seizures with absences, n (%) | 19/39 (48.7) | 25/46 (54.3) |
| Only absences, n (%) | 3 (6.8) | 0 |
| Nodding seizures with and without generalized motor seizures, n (%) | 4 (9.0) | 3 (6.5) |
| Number of seizures per month, median (IQR) | 3 (2–10) | 4 (2–4) |
| Age at onset of seizures in years, median (IQR) | 11 (7–14) | 10 (8–13) |
| Duration of epilepsy, median (IQR) | 9.5 (4–15) | 12 (7–17) |
| Altered general state, n (%) | 18 (41) | 23 (50) |
| Cognitive impairment, n (%) | 16 (36) | 26 (56) |
| Behavioural abnormalities, n (%) | 11 (25) | 19 (41) |
| Use of AED in the past, n (%) | 31 (70.5) | 29 (63.0) |
| Use of traditional treatment, n (%) | 17 (38.6) | 22 (47.8) |
| Ov16 positivity, n (%) | 33 (75.0) | 32 (69.6) |
| Skin snip positivity, n (%) | 32 (72.7) | 35 (76.1) |
| Microfilarial density per skin snip, median (IQR) | 15 (0.4–74.0) | 18.5 (1.5–72.0) |
AED: anti-epileptic drugs
IQR: interquartile range