Epilepsy in children in Benin City, Nigeria

The pattern of epilepsy in children in Nigeria showed little difference from that seen in children in western countries, except that birth asphyxia was relatively common as a cause and there was a longer time between onset of seizures and parents seeking medical care. It was estimated that good control of seizures was achieved in 52.9% of children, but more than a quarter attended the clinic only once or twice and the reasons for this are not known. The response to medication was less satisfactory for children under 1 year, a result consistent with most other studies. Some uncommon forms and associations of epilepsy were recognised. An EEG was not essential for management but was useful for the diagnosis of syndromes. Treatment was equally effective when commenced 5 years or more after the onset of seizures. The anti-convulsant used for most children was phenobarbitone which had to be discontinued in only two cases because of side-effects. Phenobarbitone has been successfully used to treat epilepsy by primary health workers in rural Africa and this is expected to continue in the future.