CHILDHOOD EPILEPSY IN PAPUA-NEW-GUINEA

A prospective study of 40 children with epilepsy was carried out betwe en June 1990 and August 1991 at Port Moresby General Hospital, Half of the children had yet to start school, Significant features in their p ast medical histories were acute meningitis (38%), tuberculous meningi tis (10%), febrile convulsions (10%) and head trauma (5%), Most cases had grand mal epilepsy (80%), The majority of the children with epilep sy (90%) were treated with a single drug, which was usually phenobarbi tone, 22% had received more than one drug, but not simultaneously, Sig nificant side-effects requiring change of treatment occurred in 10%, D isturbed behaviour was reported in 55% and 22% had a poor social outco me, 45 % had complete control of fits clinically, This study showed th at in Port Moresby acute meningitis is a significant cause of epilepsy in young children, the majority of whom present with grand mal epilep sy, which is usually controlled by phenobarbitone, a readily available and cheap drug and still a useful anticonvulsant in the developing wo rld.