Risk factors associated with epilepsy in children and adolescents: A case-control study from Syria.

INTRODUCTION

Epilepsy is a major public health concern in low-income countries (LIC) as they contain 80% of total cases worldwide. Syria has been in war since 2011 which made it difficult to prevent epilepsy risk factors which made this the first study on that matter.

METHODS

This is a case-control study from 3 medical centers in Damascus, Syria. Data were collected using questionnaires introduced by trained doctors. The control group included patients from a general practice clinic while the cases were taken from the three pediatric neurology clinics.

RESULTS

The sample consisted of 334 patients with 167 cases and 167 controls. Multivariable analysis confirmed the association between positive family history (FH) in 1st degree (OR, 3.37, 95%CI 1.2-9.47) and 2nd degree relatives (OR, 3.98, 95%CI 1.84-8.62), febrile seizures whether they were simple (OR, 15.08, 95%CI 3.27-69.5) or complex (OR, 13.32, 95%CI 1.58-112.32), developmental delay/regression (OR, 14.31, 95%CI 6.3-32.49), and central nervous system (CNS) infection (OR, 34.05, 95%CI 2.02-573.92). Head trauma, parental factors, consanguinity, asphyxia parameters, and other risk factors were not found to be significantly associated with epilepsy (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

While some results were similar to other studies, others were not. Efforts should be made to facilitate healthcare access and proper diagnosis.