This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.
Abstract
Objectives: To test a field questionnaire for epilepsy risk factors in rural India.
Background: Case–control studies are necessary to plan appropriate prevention and intervention strategies against epilepsy but difficult to mount in developing countries for various logistic and cultural reasons. Recent studies have proposed nutritional and infective risk factors not reported in Western studies.
Methods: A structured questionnaire including known and putative risk factors was administered to parents of 61 children with epilepsy and 59 randomly selected population control subjects in rural West Bengal. ORs of effect were calculated using a multiple logistic regression model with 95% CIs.
Results: Socioeconomic status, febrile convulsions, and reproductive history were easily assessable. Ages, dates, and some proxy infection markers were unreliable. Febrile convulsions were an independent risk factor (OR 6.45; 95% CI, 1.45 to 28.66). Associations with family history and infective symptoms were suggested. No association was demonstrated with socioeconomic status or reproductive factors.
Conclusions: Known risk factors were confirmed, and novel factors were suggested. A retrospective questionnaire does not allow accurate study of infective exposures. Greater statistical power is needed to study weaker associations and interacting effects.
- Received March 3, 1998.
- Accepted July 20, 1999.
AAN Members
We have changed the login procedure to improve access between AAN.com and the Neurology journals. If you are experiencing issues, please log out of AAN.com and clear history and cookies. (For instructions by browser, please click the instruction pages below). After clearing, choose preferred Journal and select login for AAN Members. You will be redirected to a login page where you can log in with your AAN ID number and password. When you are returned to the Journal, your name should appear at the top right of the page.
AAN Non-Member Subscribers
Purchase access
Letters: Rapid online correspondence
REQUIREMENTS
You must ensure that your Disclosures have been updated within the previous six months. Please go to our Submission Site to add or update your Disclosure information.
Your co-authors must send a completed Publishing Agreement Form to Neurology Staff (not necessary for the lead/corresponding author as the form below will suffice) before you upload your comment.
If you are responding to a comment that was written about an article you originally authored:
You (and co-authors) do not need to fill out forms or check disclosures as author forms are still valid
and apply to letter.
Submission specifications:
- Submissions must be < 200 words with < 5 references. Reference 1 must be the article on which you are commenting.
- Submissions should not have more than 5 authors. (Exception: original author replies can include all original authors of the article)
- Submit only on articles published within 6 months of issue date.
- Do not be redundant. Read any comments already posted on the article prior to submission.
- Submitted comments are subject to editing and editor review prior to posting.
You May Also be Interested in
Alert Me
Recommended articles
Hippocampal atrophy, epilepsy duration, and febrile seizures in patients with partial seizures
Childhood-onset epilepsy with and without preceding febrile seizures
Developmental outcomes following vaccine-proximate febrile seizures in children
Seizures in family members of patients with hippocampal sclerosis