Risk of convulsive epilepsy following acute seizures in Kenyan children

Objective: The prevalence of epilepsy is high in Africa, and people with epilepsy often have a history of acute seizures. We determined if acute seizures are associated with risk for epilepsy in rural Africa, where both conditions are common and may have shared risk factors. Methods: A total of 16,438 children (2,991 with acute seizures and 13,447 without seizures) admitted to Kilifi County Hospital from 2002-2008, were followed up through epidemiological surveys conducted in 2003 and 2008 to assess the prevalence of epilepsy and the associated risk factors. Cox proportional-hazards regression models were used to identify the risk factors. Prevalence ratios were computed using log binomial regression models. Results: The prevalence of epilepsy was higher in admissions with acute seizures (5.0% (95%CI, 4.3%-5.9%)) than those without seizures (0.7% (95%CI, 0.5%-0.8%)), P