Prevalence of epilepsy in Kelibia, Tunisia.

A door-to-door survey was made in Kelibia, Tunisia to determine the prevalence of major neurologic disorders, including epilepsy. The survey was made according to a World Health Organization (WHO) protocol (1981). All individuals responding positively to the screening tool were examined by a neurologic team using well-defined diagnostic criteria. One hundred forty-one individuals, alive on prevalence day (July 1, 1985), were identified as having active epilepsy, giving a crude prevalence ratio of 4.04 per 1,000 and an age-adjusted (on WHO population) prevalence ratio of 3.64 per 1,000. Prevalence ratios increase with age (in children and young adults with the highest prevalence ratio at approximately 20 years) and decrease after 40 years. The most frequently identified type was generalized convulsive seizures (93%). The most frequently associated conditions were cerebral palsy and mental retardation.