Epilepsy and Malaria in Children Aged 1 to 15 Years in Parakou in 2018: Case-Control Study

Adoukonou Thierry (1, 2) , Agbeille Falilatou , Bokossa Covalic , Dovoedo Elodie , Agbétou Mendinatou , Adedemy Didier , Noudamadjo Alphonse , Agossou Joseph

1 NET - Neuroépidémiologie Tropicale
2 UP - Université de Parakou = University of Parakou

Objective: To study the link between malaria and epilepsy in children in Parakou district. Methods: This case-control study included children 1-15 years of age with epilepsy. Each case of epilepsy was matched to 2 controls for age, sex and neighborhood of residence. The exposure variables were a history of malaria (number and type), family history of epilepsy and other past medical history. The odds ratios (OR) and their confidence interval were used to estimate association. Results: A total of 123 children including 41 children with epilepsy and 82 controls were included. The overall average number of malaria episodes per year in both groups combined was 1.8 + 0.9 episodes. In the multivariate analysis, cerebral malaria (OR: 50.35 [5.28-480.30]), family history of epilepsy (OR: 12.17 [2.15-69.01]) and number of malaria episodes (OR: 13.27 [4.53-98.48]) were associated. Conclusion: This study supports the association between cerebral malaria and the onset of epilepsy.

Mots clés: Epilepsy; Cerebral malaria; Child; Parakou

Domaines: Santé publique et épidémiologie

Adoukonou Thierry, Agbeille Falilatou, Bokossa Covalic, Dovoedo Elodie, Agbétou Mendinatou, et al.. Epilepsy and Malaria in Children Aged 1 to 15 Years in Parakou in 2018: Case-Control Study. Child Neurology Open, 2020, 7, pp.2329048X2095411. ⟨10.1177/2329048X20954111⟩. ⟨hal-02992080⟩