PREVALENCE STUDY OF NEUROLOGIC DISORDERS IN KELIBIA (TUNISIA)

A full-scale survey, in Kelibia, Tunisia, screening 34,874 persons sta rted on July 1, 1985. The accuracy ot this survey was evaluated by a s econd survey using a randomized sample of 1,673 subjects (control surv ey). Better selection and training of the interviewers during the cont rol survey led to a higher positive predictive value with no modificat ion in prevalence ratios of neurologic disorders. The control survey h elped to validate the full-scale survey data which were then used to e stablish the prevalence ratios of major neurologic disorders in Kelibi a. Prevalence ratios, age-adjusted to the WHO population, were compare d to those of studies using similar methodology, Migraine prevalence r atios in Nigeria, Ecuador, and Kelibia were equivalent. Epilepsy and P arkinson's disease prevalence ratios were close to those of other simi lar studies. The stroke prevalence ratio was low, compared to other st udies, but was not the lowest. It seems that in Kelibia, stroke does n ot constitute a public health problem as it does in the USA or urban C hina. The large full-scale survey, in Kelibia, provided estimates of p revalence ratios for stroke, epilepsy, migraine and other common neuro logic disorders for comparisons with other countries. However, definit ions of neurologic disorders and diagnostic criteria differ from one s tudy to another making difficult the comparison of results between dif ferent countries. Had the WHO protocol developed well-defined criteria and a standardized neurologic examining tool, more accurate compariso ns could have been made.