Amina CHENTOUF

Abstract

Introduction - Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease whose risk factors are very heterogeneous from one population to another. The role attributed to inbreeding in the development of genetically determined diseases has been well documented. However, its association with epilepsy has been suggested by some studies and refuted by others. The goal of this case-control study was to identify the significance of consanguinity and other risk factors of epilepsy in a population of western Algeria. Patients and methods - Unrelated epileptic patients upwards of 16 years, who attended the Neurology Department of Oran University Hospital between October 2013 and March 2014, were included in the study. Controls matched for age and sex, were selected among non- epileptic patients attending the same department during the same period for another neurological disorder. The risk factors evaluated were: consanguinity, family history of epilepsy, perinatal complications, infection of the central nervous system, mental retardation, neurological impairment, history of febrile seizures, severe head trauma, stroke and addiction. Results - 101 cases and 202 controls participated in the study. Multivariate logistic regression identified five factors significantly associated with epilepsy: first-degree parental consanguinity (p=0.029), history of epilepsy in first-degree relatives (p<10-4), antecedent of febrile seizures (p=0.005), severe head injury (p=0.020) and mental retardation (p=0.006). Conclusion - This case-control study identified risk factors associated with epilepsy, and demonstrated familial aggregation of epilepsy in a population of western Algeria. The implementation of a strategy for prevention and awareness of the impact of consanguineous marriages as well as genetic counselling for couples with a family history of epilepsy are needed.

keywords

Epilepsy, Consanguinity, Risk factors, Algeria