Medical Student Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine Cary, North Carolina, United States
Introduction: Idiopathic epilepsy (IE) contributes a high proportion of the global neurological disease burden, particularly in the elderly population. Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), such as those in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are home to an estimated 80% of afflicted individuals with IE. The purpose of this study is to fill the relative gap in the literature by characterizing regional and temporal trends in IE for SSA from 1990-2019.
Methods: Data was collected from the Global Burden of Disease database. SSA was defined as comprising the countries in Eastern, Central, Western, and Southern Africa. Parameters included individuals of both sexes, age 55+ with IE in Central, South, East, and West SSA. Variables included mortality, incidence, and prevalence rates per 100,000 population, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs).
Results: In 2019, South SSA had the highest incidence of IE (45.6) and from 1990-2019 had the highest overall average incidence (45.1). For prevalence, South SSA had the highest rate in 2019 (650.0) and has consistently maintained the highest prevalence from 1990-2019 reaching a peak in 2000 (766.6). From 1990-2019, the average mortality rate of IE in SSA was 5.8, with an average increase of 101 deaths per year, compared to a global mortality rate of 3.0. Temporal analysis shows that West SSA has remained the region with the highest average mortality rate (6.5) from 1990-2019. Analysis of DALYs revealed that West SSA had the highest disease burden (176.5) in 2019 and the highest burden from 1990-2019 (184.7).
Conclusion : This study provides a comprehensive overview of the disease burden of IE among the older population in SSA. Results indicate increased mortality in all SSA compared to global levels. Furthermore, disparities within regions of SSA itself, may guide the allocation of needed resources and support for treatment of IE older populations to more affected regions.
