Amina CHENTOUF

Summary

Purpose: The goal of this case—control study was to identify the significance of consanguinity and other risk factors for epilepsy in Oran, Algeria.
Methods: Unrelated epileptic patients upwards of 16 years, who attended the Neurology Depart- ment 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 dur- ing the same period. The risk factors evaluated were: consanguinity, family history of epilepsy, perinatal complications, infection of the central nervous system, mental retardation, neuro- logical impairment, history of febrile seizures, severe head trauma, cerebrovascular diseases, and addiction.

Results: 101 cases and 202 controls participated in the study. Multivariate logistic regression identified five factors significantly associated with epilepsy: first-degree of consanguinity (odds ratio (OR) = 2.15), history of epilepsy in first-degree relatives (OR = 4.03), antecedent of febrile seizures (OR = 5.38), severe head injury (OR = 2.94) and mental retardation (OR = 9.32). Conclusion: Consanguinity, family history of epilepsy, history of febrile seizures, severe head trauma and mental retardation are risk factors for epilepsy. The implementation of a strategy for prevention and awareness of the impact of consanguineous marriages as well as genetic counseling for couples with a family history of epilepsy are needed.

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