Neurocysticercosis and epilepsy in Peru

This study was carried out to determine the prevailing type of epilepsy in neurocysticercosis. We also evaluated if it could account for the predominance of generalized epilepsy in Peru. We studied the records and EEGs of 49 cases of neurocysticercosis, representing 5.9% of all hospital admissions. Cysticercosis was diagnosed using clinical, blood, CSF (complement fixation, ELISA, immunoblot) and CT scan criteria. We found 49 epileptic patients. Their type of epilepsy was as follows: 35 subjects had generalized epilepsy and 14 had partial epilepsy (5 motor partial, 5 complex partial, both with secondary generalization and 4 motor partial). All but 3 patients were over 25 years old (mean 33 years). We conclude that generalized epilepsy is frequent among cysticercosis patients and that it may account, partially, for the predominance of generalized seizures in Peru and in other areas of South America where cysticercosis is endemic.