Neurological disorders in children and adolescents.

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Pediatrics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Neurological and developmental disorders significantly impact child health.
• Understanding the prevalence of conditions like epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and tic disorders is crucial for public health planning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of active epilepsy, febrile seizures (FS), cerebral palsy (CP), and tic disorders (TD) in individuals aged 19 years or younger.
• To analyze age-related trends and identify associated risk factors for these conditions.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, observational study employing a two-stage door-to-door survey.
• Stratified random sampling of the population, with trained field workers conducting initial screenings followed by neurologist examinations.

Main Results:

• Prevalence rates per 100,000 were: active epilepsy (700.87), FS (1113.14), CP (282.70), and TD (35.34).
• Active epilepsy prevalence increased with age, while FS, CP, and TD showed a declining trend.
• Neurocysticercosis lesions were found in 23.4% of epileptic patients with CT scans; 23.5% of epileptics received no antiepileptic drugs. 9.5% of FS cases developed epilepsy.
• CP was associated with birth anoxia (39.6%), kernicterus (16.7%), epilepsy (31.3%), and lower educational status.

Conclusions:

• Prevalence of CP and TD is lower than in Western countries and comparable to or lower than many Indian studies.
• A higher proportion of FS cases develop epilepsy compared to Western nations.
• Seizures affect a significant portion (33.3%) of CP cases; birth anoxia is a common cause of CP, and educational underachievement is frequent.