Onchocerciasis and epilepsy: A matched case-control study in the Central African Republic

The occurrence of epileptic seizures during onchocercal infestation has bee n suspected. Epidemiologic studies are necessary to confirm the relation be tween onchocerciasis and epilepsy A matched case-control study was conducte d in dispensaries of three northwestern towns of the Central African Republ ic. Each epileptic case was matched against two nonepileptic controls on th e six criteria of sex, age (+/- 5 years), residence, treatment with ivermec tin, date of last ivermectin dose, and the number of ivermectin doses. Onch ocerciasis was defined as at least one microfilaria observed in iliac crest skin snip biopsy. A total of 561 subjects (187 cases and 374 controls) wer e included in the study, Of the epileptics, 39.6% had onchocerciasis, as di d 35.8% of the controls. The mean dermal microfilarial toad was 26 microfil ariae per mg of skin (standard deviation, 42) in the epileptics and 24 micr ofilariae per mg of skin (standard deviation, 48) in the controls. This mat ched case-control study found some relation (odds ratio = 1.21, 95% confide nce interval 0.81-1.80), although it was nonstatistically significant.