Epilepsies et crises épileptiques aiguës chez l’enfant en Afrique subsaharienne: défis et espoirs

Abstract

Epilepsy is a neurological disease common among children in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Although its exact prevalence in this population is unknown, it is probably similar to that found in the general population because of its early onset (60% starts before the age of 20 years) and the absence of bimodal distribution found in western countries. This review acknowledges the reality that current management of pediatric epilepsy in SSA is imperfect. To reverse this trend, the challenges are three fold: better education, improved therapeutics and more research. Doctors need to be trained in the practice of pediatric neurology and provided with working conditions that limit the brain drain. The resources necessary for the proper management of children with epilepsy in SSA need to be identified and provided (better availability of antiepileptic drugs, clear national guidelines, proper registration of traditional healers etc…). Finally, it is imperative that research be conducted to establish accurate incidence and prevalence figures for pediatric epilepsy, so that targeted control measures can be implemented.